Explaining spatial patterns of lung cancer mortality in Russia

ABSTRACT

Socialization theory assumes that socialization agents, such as family, school, and church, inculcate human values and behaviors. The current study proposes that socialization has affected social acceptability of tobacco use. The analysis identifies socio-demographic risk factors, as measured in two postwar Soviet censuses, for age-adjusted lung cancer mortality in Russia in 2014−2018, using findings from the micro-level. Based on the 1959 and 1970 National Census results, three pairs of principal components were extracted corresponding to three socialization agents. A general-to-specific strategy was used to specify a spatial model and resulted in a spatial autoregressive model with autoregressive disturbances. Four spatial models show consistently that the strength of informal institutions in the postwar societies (i.e. at the socialization stage) was spatially related to a lower age-adjusted lung cancer mortality in men and women. Also, urban style of living and low education in the postwar societies were spatially related to an elevated age-adjusted lung cancer mortality in men. It is concluded that socialization theory can explain spatial variation in age-adjusted lung cancer mortality. The observed latitudinal spatial clustering of age-adjusted lung cancer mortality in the European part of the country remains consistent with the previous research on the spatial variation in violent mortality and suicide mortality.

KEYWORDS:

• Socialization
• tobacco smoking
• lung cancer
• mortality
• Russia