Jump to full article: VOANews.com (Voice of America), 2009-08-24
Author: Anya Ardayeva
Intro: Drinking and smoking account for higher death rate in Moscow
New studies find that about a million people in Russia die each year from alcohol and tobacco related illnesses. And in several recent years, more than half of all Russian deaths between the ages of 15 and 54 were caused by alcohol.
In Russia, deaths outnumber births these days.
The World Health Organization says a Russian man can expect to live to just under 60. In the United States, male life expectancy is 75. United Nations figures show Russia's population is declining by half a percent a year.
A study published in the British medical journal, The Lancet, finds alcohol and tobacco consumption account for Russia's higher death rate compared to western Europe. . . .
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's popularity dropped when he imposed drinking regulations in the 1980s.
The present government has instead launched an advertising campaign calling on Russians to take care of themselves, and reminding them of the risks associated with heavy smoking and drinking.
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