Infant mortality in rural areas of the Krasnoyarsk Territory in 1991-2000

The subject of the study is the infant mortality rate of the rural population of the Krasnoyarsk Territory in 1991-2000 as a historical and demographic indicator of the state and limitations of population reproduction in the context of the post-Soviet transformation. The object of the study is demographic losses under the age of one year in rural areas of the region and their place in the overall mortality system of the rural population. The author examines in detail the dynamics of absolute and relative infant mortality rates, identifies the features of its sexual differentiation, and analyzes the structure of causes of death, distinguishing between endogenous and exogenous factors of early age-related losses. Special attention is paid to the crisis fluctuations of the second half of the 1990s, the comparison of regional trajectories with nationwide rural trends, and the interpretation of the identified features in the context of an asynchronous and incomplete epidemiological transition. The paper uses methods of historical-demographic and structural-dynamic analysis, as well as a comparative historical approach. The data of the current mortality statistics of the rural population, published in the materials of Rosstat and Krasnoyarsk Statistical Service, were used as sources. It was found that, with a decrease in the absolute number of deaths of children under one year of age, infant mortality in rural areas of the Krasnoyarsk Territory in 1991-2000 remained high and unstable, with a greater range of fluctuations compared with national indicators. A steady excess of boys' mortality over girls' mortality was revealed, which noticeably increased during periods of crisis growth. Analysis of the structure of causes of death showed the dominance of perinatal conditions and congenital anomalies, while maintaining a significant role of exogenous factors such as respiratory diseases, infectious diseases and external causes, the contribution of which increased during the crisis years. It is concluded that the infant mortality rate of the rural population of the Krasnoyarsk Territory in 1991-2000 reflected the incompleteness and asynchrony of the epidemiological transition and can be considered as an informative indicator of the quality of the conditions of reproduction of the population in the post-Soviet period.