RT Journal Article
T1 Utilization of Parallel Resources and Sociodemographic Factors in Treating Children with Complex Chronic Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study
A1 Perez-Ardanaz, Bibiana
A1 Jose Pelaez-Cantero, Maria
A1 Gonzalez-Cano-Caballero, Maria
A1 Gutierrez-Rodriguez, Laura
A1 Jose Gomez-Gonzalez, Alberto
A1 Lupianez-Perez, Inmaculada
A1 Miguel Morales-Asencio, Jose
A1 Carlos Canca-Sanchez, Jose
K1 child health services
K1 multiple chronic conditions
K1 alternative therapies
K1 social support
K1 public health
K1 psychosocial support systems
K1 and socioeconomic factors
K1 Quality-of-life
K1 Alternative medicine
K1 Socioeconomic-status
K1 Care
K1 Therapy
K1 Family
K1 Cancer
K1 Complementary
K1 Adolescents
K1 Population
AB Background: Children with complex chronic conditions have a high need for health and social care resources. Many parents explore parallel resources such as alternative therapies, associations, psychological support, private medical consultations, and other out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare. The use of these alternative health resources is sometimes unclear and may lead to health inequalities. To characterize the use made of alternative healthcare resources for children with complex chronic conditions. Additionally, we evaluate the influence of sociodemographic factors on the distribution of this utilization of resources; (2) Methods: Cross-sectional study. Children with complex chronic diseases were treated at a tertiary hospital in Granada, Spain in 2016. We analyzed their use of healthcare resources and socioeconomic variables. This research complies with STROBE guidelines for observational studies; (3) Results: In total, 265 children were analyzed (mean age 7.3 years, SD 4.63). A total of 105 children (39.6%) attended private consultations with specialists, and 12.1% (n = 32) of the children had additional private health insurance. One out three parents belonged to a mutual support association (n = 78), and 26% (n = 69) of the children used alternative therapies. Furthermore, 75.4% (n = 199) of the children received no psychological support. Children whose parents had a higher educational level and occupations status made greater use of parallel healthcare resources.; (4) Conclusions: A significant proportion of children used multiple health resources in addition to the public healthcare system depending on sociodemographic determinants. Studies are needed to determine whether the use of these alternative services achieves better levels of health.
PB Mdpi
YR 2021
FD 2021-11-01
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10668/24493
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10668/24493
LA en
DS RISalud
RD Apr 17, 2025