Child and Adolescent Health in Armenia: Experiences and Learned Lessons

Abstract

The health of children and adolescents of Armenia has been affected by various socioeconomic, environmental, educational, and behavioral factors, demonstrating trends typical for both developed and developing countries. Key issues to be addressed by Armenian pediatricians are child mortality, malnutrition, and growth failure in the early years and overweight in later years. The case of Armenia illustrates how countries in transition are currently tackling both "old" problems (mortality and malnutrition) and "new" emerging morbidities (chronic diseases and adolescent health problems) based on social and health determinants, but the financing of the health system is far from satisfactory. Lessons of Armenia indicate the need for more cooperation between general practitioners and pediatricians at a primary care level. In addition, a better balance between inpatient and outpatient care could be achieved, which is not yet the case. Nevertheless, the overall performance of the Armenian child health care system can be considered satisfactory when bearing in mind the limitation of resources. Among the successful factors are those inherited from the Soviet period health system, including key institutions such as rural health posts and health centers, city polyclinics, and hospitals. These institutions mostly meet the needs of Armenian children and families today.

Pathways to socioeconomic health differences in Armenian adolescents: The role of bullying perpetration

“…The probability proportional to size (PPS) method was used to select schools, followed by a random selection of classrooms. In a classroom setting, adolescents anonymously completed the Armenian translation of the international HBSC standardized questionnaire (self-administered), which included questions on their health, health behaviors, and contextual variables [ 31 ]. Individual question descriptions and supporting scientific evidence can be found in the international HBSC protocol [ 30 ].…”

“…Individual question descriptions and supporting scientific evidence can be found in the international HBSC protocol [ 30 ]. The HBSC study in Armenia received ethical approval before collecting data [ 31 ]. The manuscript results are based on fully anonymized secondary data, not containing student identifying information.…”

Nachricht von Radio Eriwan, Teil 1

“…Im Rahmen des Meetings lernten wir auch Professor Sergey Sargsyan kennen -er ist Generalsekretär der Armenischen Gesellschaft für Pädia-trie und hat zuletzt im Rahmen eines EPA-Projektes im Journal of Pediatrics über das armenische Gesundheitssystem berichtet [2], so wie es der Verfasser dieser Zeilen für Österreich tun durfte [3].…”

Complexity of Pediatric Chronic Disease: Cross-Sectional Study With 16,237 Patients Followed by Multiple Medical Specialties

“…This fact is due to the advancements in medical diagnosis, with new technologies and specific treatments for different illnesses and comorbidities. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Of note, child and adolescent populations with chronic health disabilities requiring highly complex medical care have been increasingly followed-up in tertiary centers. A French study with individuals younger than 14 years old showed that 3.3% of patients had long-term conditions, and 1.4% had complex chronic diseases.…”