Analysis of morbidity among the population living in the populated port cities of the Northern Sea Route

Abstract

Introduction. To develop the Arctic region and the Northern Sea Route (NSR), large-scale programs are being implemented to improve living conditions for the population, and investment projects and social initiatives are being supported.The purpose of the study was to assess the population health status in the port cities of the Northern Sea Route.Materials and methods. Data from the federal information fund for social and hygienic monitoring in the sections “Medical and demographic indicators” and “Population health” for 2007–2024. An analysis of the incidence in the cities of Anadyr, Arkhangelsk, and Murmansk, as well as in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation in general was conducted. Morbidity rates by age group were calculated per 100,000 of the corresponding population. Statistical processing was performed using Microsoft Office Excel 2013.Results. In 2024, incidence rates for children diagnosed for the first time were above the Arctic average, for adolescents they were at the Arctic average, for adults they were below the Arctic average in Arkhangelsk and Murmansk, and above the Arctic average in Anadyr. An increase in incidence of anemia, obesity, and diabetes type 1 and type 2 was observed across all population groups. Based on the analysis conducted, a stable trend towards a decrease in the incidence of certain diseases in the Murmansk city population was noted.Limitations. The study was conducted only for the port cities of NSR, for which statistical forms on the state of health of the population are generated.Conclusion. The conducted analysis of the morbidity of the population of the studied port cities of NSR made it possible to identify nosology, the morbidity rates of which exceeded the average Arctic indicators for the period 2007–2024.Compliance with ethical standards. The study does not require the submission of a biomedical ethics committee opinion or other documents.Contribution: Buzinov R.V. – the concept and design of the study; Myasnikov I.O. – writing and editing text; Novikova Yu.A. – statistical analysis, interpretation of results, writing text; Sklizkova N.A. – analysis of literature data, interpretation of results; Fedorov V.N. – data processing, editing of the article text; Kizeev A.N. – collection and processing of material; Levanchuk A.V. – collection of material. All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.Funding. The study was carried out as part of research project reg. No. 125040104706-8 and did not have any sponsorship support.Received: April 17, 2026 / Revised: April 28, 2026 / Accepted: July 1, 2026 / Published: September 28, 2026