The purpose for the research is to study the resilience of regional human population against
environmental impacts based on evaluation of quality indicators of environmental living conditions and
promotion of population’s health on the one hand, and on population’s mortality for a number of causes
related to environmental degradation on the other hand. Indicators of environmental degradation may
include expanding industrial production, energy consumption, population density, growing number of
motor vehicles etc. The study is initiated by the trends of the second epidemiologic transition according
to which diseases and causes of mortality are mostly attributable to endogenous factors related to natural
ageing of a human body, its declining age-related vitality and resistance to adverse external impacts
including environment. The novelty of the research lies in assessment of both population’s resilience
against this kind of impacts in regions with varied concentration of population and facilities used for
economic purposes, and causes of morbidity and mortality from this type of impacts. The system
approach used for the research helps both take into account the multicomponent influence of factors over
a substantial period of time (a ten year period) and assess their cumulative impact on the sustainability of
population’s self-preservation behavior. According to the research results, highly industrialized regions
strengthen the negative dynamics of working-age population mortality. The situation is different in less
industrialized regions where the population is sufficiently adapted to environmental impacts. According
to econometric estimates, causes of cancer mortality are closely correlated with respiratory diseases and
indicators of environmental impact – environmental pollution with vehicle emissions (exhaust fumes).
The research results can be used in justification and adoption of strategic solutions in creating “new
quality” of life. The application of research results is focused on making decisions based not only on their
interpretation, from the standpoint of improvement or deterioration of the regional situation, but also
on the regional assessment of resilience of the human population to environmental impacts adversely
affecting population’s health
Keywords
working-age population, assessment, industrialized regions, resilience, environmental impacts, causes of morbidity and mortality