Medico-demographic and medico-social determinants of the birth rate of the population in the Chechen Republic

BACKGROUND: Over the years, the birth rate in Russia has decreased due to a transformation in the family structure, a change in attitudes toward marriage and family, and economic and social reasons. The ratio of fertility and mortality determines the population reproduction regime, changing economic development and national security conditions. The analysis and assessment of the birth rate in the Chechen Republic is crucial because the results can be used to formulate a system of demographic policy measures considering national traditions of matrimonial behavior.

AIM: To develop recommendations for increasing the birth rate of the population in the Chechen Republic as a territory with strong traditions of the priority of family values.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted based on official statistics of the Chechen Republic for 2010–2021 and a sociological survey of mothers.

RESULTS: Medical and demographic processes in the territory of the Chechen Republic had a general unfavorable trend in the 12-year period from 2010 to 2021. The only positive aspect that can be considered is a threefold decrease in the birth rate in the same period among mothers aged >40 years, as older mothers carry a large burden of chronic pathology, causing a risk to the health of newborns.

CONCLUSION: Negative stable trends in age-specific decline in fertility in the reproductive period among women in the Chechen Republic indicated the unfavorable demographic situation in Russia, despite the priority of family values and stable traditions of large families. The reserves for improving the demographic situation in the region are hidden in the need for systematic information support for families to use their rights to state benefits aimed at protecting motherhood and childhood, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of these measures.