A brief summary on the effects of globalization on health in Russia. Discuss one change in
quality of life in post-transition Russia. Also, explain one change in mortality in post-
transition Russia. Provide examples for both. Expand on your insights utilizing the
Learning Resources.
The Globalization of Health
Globalization influences not only trade, finance, science, and environment, but also
health and medical care. Communicable diseases like HIV, SARS, H1N1, and swine flu are
some of the examples of the diseases that have spread globally. All these spread due to changes
in the environment and lifestyle, which is a sufficient evidence that lifestyles are also rapidly
changing. Some of the unhealthy ways of living include smoking and obesity. Other examples
of globalization of health include international trade of health services, international movement
of physicians and nurses, and movement of healthcare consumers (World Health Organization
Western Pacific Region, 2009).
Globalization of health has directly affected the wellbeing of Russian population. From
the onset, there are high rates of low mood and anxiousness among the Russian population.
These health problems are as a result of poor nutrition due to low consumption of food and low
payment of professionals. The depression is due to cigarette smoking and taking of alcohol in
very large amounts. These health complications have greater influence on circulatory and
gastrointestinal diseases (Averina et al., 2005). According to Frieden (2010), clinical
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interventions that need very small amount of interaction, day-to-day clinical care, health
education, and counseling are some of the ways to sort out these health challenges.
The quality of life in post transition Russia has changed drastically. The people have
developed poor eating habits. Most people depend on high levels of energy intake from fat.
Consequently, this has resulted into increase in weight of individuals, hence, obesity in the older
people. Health status of children is equally worrying, with most children having chronic
malnutrition. This is also reflected in primary school going children whose health conditions are
very poor. At birth, newborns develop disabilities and a high number of children are having
physical complications. Poor quality of life is as a result of high poverty levels amongst the
citizens. There is high inflation and decline in wages as a result of fluctuation in employment and
income patterns (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2010). In order to address some of these challenges, Jones
et al., (2009) give a summary of how to handle them. Perhaps, this problem could be solved by
having improved health facilities and addressing both equity and factors that promote good
health. Therefore, in order to realize low mortality rate post transition Russia ought to address
the social determinants of health like empowering its citizens economically and also ensuring
that there is equity. Equity involves improving the policies, practices, norms and values that
control the distribution of resources. Furthermore, Jones et al., (2009) states that social
determinants of health like poverty, automatically eliminate any health inequity.
There is a rise in mortality rate in post transition Russia due to income inequality,
unemployment, labor turnover, migration, crime and divorce. These factors resulted into stress
which is a major cause of death. Consequently, there was high death of men who were still very
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young and productive. Another factor that promoted increased death rate is huge increase the
number of people and the amount of alcohol taken. The increased use of alcohol resulted into
people killing themselves and some involving themselves in road accidents. The increased intake
of alcohol is basically as a result of reduction in the amount of money used to buy the substance.
According to Stuckler, King, & McKee (2009), the solution to high mortality rate is privatization
of institutions especially in post Russian nation.
References
Averina, M., Nilssen, O., Brenn, T., Brox, J., Arkhipovsky, V. L., & Kalinin, A. G. (2005).
Social and lifestyle determinants of depression, anxiety, sleeping disorders and self-
evaluated quality of life in Russia: A population-based study in Arkhangelsk. Social
Psychiatry and
Psychiatric Epidemiology, 40(7), 511–518.
Frieden, T. R. (2010). A framework for public health action: The health impact pyramid.
American Journal of Public Health, 100(4), 590–595.
Jones, C. P., Jones, C. Y., Perry, G. S., Barclay, G., & Jones, C. A. (2009). Addressing the social
determinants of children’s health: A cliff analogy. Journal of Health Care for the Poor
and Underserved, 20(Suppl. 4), 1–12.
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Stuckler, D., King, L., & McKee, M. (2009). Mass privatization and the post-communist
mortality crisis: A cross-national analysis. Lancet, 373(9661), 399–407.
Wilkinson, R., & Pickett, K. (2010). The spirit level: Why greater equality makes societies
stronger. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Press. o Chapter 13, “Dysfunctional Societies”
(pp. 173–196).
World Health Organization Western Pacific Region. (2009). Global health library.