{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,26]],"date-time":"2026-03-26T18:16:21Z","timestamp":1774548981705,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":66,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,26]],"date-time":"2026-03-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774483200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosdigitalhealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Digit Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Protecting personal health information has long been a key ethical concern in healthcare. With the rise of digital health systems, privacy concerns have intensified. In least developed countries like Myanmar, where digital literacy is low, public and governmental awareness of privacy issues is limited, and data protection laws are lacking, the health information privacy area remains largely unaddressed and understudied. This study, therefore, aimed to assess the level of privacy concerns related to personal health information in Myanmar and identify the factors associated with these concerns. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to May 2024 among 424 participants recruited online and through two private clinics. A validated 21-item scale measuring six domains: Collection, Errors, Unauthorized Secondary Use, Improper Access, Control, and Awareness, was used. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to validate the scale, and logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with the concerns. Among the 424 participants, 77.83% reported high concerns. The highest concern was observed in the Awareness domain (mean 5.02, SD 1.65), while the Collection domain showed the lowest (mean 3.41, SD 1.44). Participants aged 45 years or older had significantly lower odds of high concerns compared to those aged 18\u201324 years, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 0.29 (95% CI 0.09-0.88). In contrast, those reporting good health (aOR 3.72, 95% CI 1.69-8.23) and high health concerns (aOR 5.26, 95% CI 3.02-9.45) had increased odds of high privacy concerns. These findings highlight the need for robust privacy safeguards, legal frameworks, and trust-building measures to support Myanmar\u2019s transition to digital health systems. Sampling via online channels and private clinics likely introduced an urban\/educated bias, limiting generalizability. However, the findings may still provide insights relevant for other least developed countries facing similar challenges in balancing digital innovation with the protection of personal health information.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pdig.0001007","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,26]],"date-time":"2026-03-26T17:27:12Z","timestamp":1774546032000},"page":"e0001007","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pdig.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Privacy concerns regarding personal health information in Myanmar: A cross-sectional survey in a least developed country"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"5","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-3253-8353","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Khaing Zin Zin","family":"Htwe","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Saranath","family":"Lawpoolsri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ngamphol","family":"Soonthornworasiri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Panithee","family":"Thammawijaya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7916-8460","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jaranit","family":"Kaewkungwal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,26]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"pdig.0001007.ref001","first-page":"451","article-title":"Health Information Privacy","volume":"80","author":"LO Gastin","year":"1995","journal-title":"Cornell Law Review"},{"issue":"7","key":"pdig.0001007.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"994","DOI":"10.7326\/M20-7639","article-title":"Health information privacy, protection, and use in the expanding digital health ecosystem: a position paper of the American College of Physicians","volume":"174","author":"B Rockwern","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ann Intern Med"},{"issue":"1","key":"pdig.0001007.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"46","DOI":"10.1186\/1741-7015-9-46","article-title":"Comparison of user groups\u2019 perspectives of barriers and facilitators to implementing electronic health records: a systematic review","volume":"9","author":"CA McGinn","year":"2011","journal-title":"BMC Med"},{"key":"pdig.0001007.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104164","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijmedinf.2020.104164","article-title":"Impact of Trust and Privacy Concerns on Technology Acceptance in Healthcare: An Indian Perspective","volume":"141","author":"D Dhagarra","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int J Med Inform"},{"issue":"14","key":"pdig.0001007.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2797","DOI":"10.1080\/1369118X.2022.2113421","article-title":"Sharing is caring: willingness to share personal data through contact tracing apps in China, Germany, and the US","volume":"26","author":"S Habich-Sobiegalla","year":"2023","journal-title":"Inf Commun Soc"},{"issue":"5","key":"pdig.0001007.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"556","DOI":"10.1177\/0963662510376886","article-title":"Public assessment of new surveillance-oriented security technologies: Beyond the trade-off between privacy and security","volume":"21","author":"V Pavone","year":"2012","journal-title":"Public Underst Sci"},{"issue":"2","key":"pdig.0001007.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"208","DOI":"10.1080\/02681102.2020.1806018","article-title":"Factors influencing individuals\u2019 personal health information privacy concerns. 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