THE IMPACT OF GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS ON POPULATION HEALTH IN THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN
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Abstract
The geographical conditions of a country’s territory play a crucial role in determining the health of its population. The article investigates the relationship between the incidence of respiratory diseases and geographical factors across the natural regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The study found that the highest morbidity rate occurs in the Greater Caucasus (11.3%), while the lowest is observed in the Middle Araz region (5.7%). Regression analyses show that in the economic regions of Baku and Absheron-Khizi (R²=0.7094), Mountainous Shirvan (R²=0.653), and Shirvan-Salyan within the Kura Intermountain Depression (R²=0.8098), the morbidity rate decreases with increasing average elevation above sea level. In particular, in the Shirvan-Salyan region, each 1-meter rise in elevation reduces the morbidity rate by an average of 16 cases per 10,000 people. In contrast, the Middle Araz region shows an opposite relationship (R²=0.34). The influence of elevation is indirect and is shaped through such factors as precipitation, temperature, and hydrological conditions. These findings confirm that relief plays an important mediating role between ecological conditions and human health. The results of the study on the influence of geographical factors on the incidence of respiratory diseases – one of the leading causes of morbidity in Azerbaijan – showed that factors such as geographical location, elevation above sea level, relative humidity, precipitation levels, hydrological conditions, and both natural and anthropogenic air pollution determine the regional differences in the spread of these diseases.
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