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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1391265

Socio-demographic factors related to children's knowledge about their rights to healthcare services in transitional Albania

Provisionally accepted
Herion Muja Herion Muja 1Suela Vasil Suela Vasil 2Dorina Toçi Dorina Toçi 3Timo Clemens Timo Clemens 4Ervin Toci Ervin Toci 5Helmut Brand Helmut Brand 4Genc Burazeri Genc Burazeri 4*
  • 1 Institute of Public Health (Albania), Tirana, Albania
  • 2 Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, Tirana, Tirana, Albania
  • 3 Institute of Public Health, Tirana, Tirana, Albania
  • 4 Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
  • 5 Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine, Tirana, Tirana, Tirana, Albania

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Our aim was to assess the level and socio-demographic correlates of knowledge about rights to healthcare services among children in post-communist Albania. Methods: An online survey conducted in Albania in September 2022 included a nationwide representative sample of 7831 schoolchildren (≈54% girls) aged 12-15 years. A structured and anonymous questionnaire was administered inquiring about children’s knowledge on their rights to healthcare services. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association of children’s knowledge about their rights to healthcare services with socio-demographic characteristics. Results: Overall, about 78% of the children had knowledge about their rights to healthcare services. In multivariable adjusted logistic regression models, independent “predictors” of lack of knowledge about rights to healthcare services included male gender (OR=1.2, 95%CI=1.1-1.3), younger age (OR=1.3, 95%CI=1.1-1.4), pertinence to Roma/Egyptian community (OR=1.6, 95%CI=1.1-2.2), and a poor/very poor economic situation (OR=1.3, 95%CI=1.0-1.6). Conclusions: Our findings indicate a significantly lower level of knowledge about rights to healthcare services among children from low socioeconomic families and especially those pertinent to ethnic minorities such as Roma/Egyptian communities. Health professionals and policymakers should be aware of the unmet needs for healthcare services due to lack of awareness to navigate the system particularly among disadvantaged population groups.

    Keywords: Albania, Children, rights to healthcare, Schoolchildren, sociodemographic factors

    Received: 25 Feb 2024; Accepted: 15 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Muja, Vasil, Toçi, Clemens, Toci, Brand and Burazeri. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Genc Burazeri, Maastricht University, Maastricht, 6211 LK, Netherlands

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.