title: Health inequality in the Russian Federation: An examination of the changes in concentration and achievement indices from 1994 to 2013.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To assess and quantify the magnitude of health inequalities ascribed to socioeconomic strata from 1994 to 2013 in the Russian Federation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A balanced sample of 1,496 adult individuals extracted from the 1994 wave of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS) is followed for stated self-perceived health status until 2013. The socioeconomic strata (SES) index is constructed with a set of variables (adult equivalent household income, ownership of assets and living conditions) by applying principal component analysis (PCA). We use a regression-based concentration index to measure differences in self-perceived health status. Finally, we examine the degree of aversion to inequalities in self-perceived health status between the worse-off and the better-off with the achievement index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By 2013, the mean standardized self-perceived health status has improved by 4.6 % compared to 1994. The absolute size of Concentration Index (CI) for non - standardized self-perceived health status is reduced by 44.27 % from 1994 to 2013. No systematic trend emerges in the evolution of CI for self-perceived health status of the Russians over the 19 year period. However, avoidable inequalities in self-perceived health status of the Russian population is reduced by almost 60 % over the two decades (1994-2013).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SES, as defined with objective indicators, shows little consistency in association with self-perceived health status in the Russian Federation. This study highlights the need for future research that considers the context of stated self-perceived health status in the realm of subjective socioeconomic status (SSS).
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Social Management, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, 70211, Finland. pavitra.paul@uef.fi.
authors.forename: Pavitra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Social Management, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, 70211, Finland. hannu.valtonen@uef.fi.
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Valtonen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012426:Russia; D012649:Self Concept; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires