Hanoi School Of Public Health

About: Hanoi School Of Public Health is a education organization based out in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Public health. The organization has 182 authors who have published 266 publications receiving 23330 citations.

Coverage of health insurance among the near-poor in rural Vietnam and associated factors.

Abstract: The Vietnamese government is committed to universal health care largely through social health insurance The near-poor population is entitled to subsidized but not free insurance under this scheme, but remains under-represented compared to other groups The aims of this research were to estimate the health insurance coverage of the near-poor in rural Vietnam and identify the individual and household factors associated with health insurance status Rates of health insurance coverage were estimated from district-level administrative data A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a representative sample of 2000 near-poor in Cao Lanh district, Dong Thap province, Vietnam Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a standardized questionnaire Multiple logistic regression was applied to identify the factors associated with insurance status The insurance coverage of the near-poor in the selected communities was 203% Enrollment in the health insurance scheme was significantly associated with poor health status (OR = 48, 95% CI = 24–98), good knowledge of health insurance (OR = 46, 95% CI = 34–62), interest in health insurance (OR = 301, 95% CI = 116–780), and the perceived cost of the insurance premium (OR = 24, 95% CI = 17–36) The cost of insurance premiums is a barrier to enrollment Information, education and communication campaigns together with modified insurance scheme for the near-poor are necessary to enhance insurance coverage in Vietnam

Diarrhoea management by pharmacy staff in retail pharmacies in Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract: A survey was conducted in a sample of 29 pharmacies in the Badinh district of Hanoi, Vietnam, to determine the knowledge and behaviour of pharmacy staff in dealing with cases of acute diarrhoea in children. The survey found that antibiotics and antidiarrhoeal drugs were suggested in the majority of cases (45 per cent and 69 per cent, respectively) while oral rehydration salts (ORS) were suggested in only one case. In about 80 per cent of the observed cases in which antibiotics were supplied, one to four tablets were given, enough for only one to two days. The advice given by pharmacy staff to purchasers was poor. Only about half the pharmacy staff asked for information about the stool, age of the child and frequency of diarrhoea, while questions about medicines that had already been taken, feeding and health status were rarely asked. In about 10 per cent of the cases, no questions at all were asked. The mean cost of the treatment was $ 0.53 (95 per cent CI = 0.37–0.68). Constraints of knowledge, time and finance could be the reasons for this inappropriate management of childhood diarrhoea.

Socio-economic disadvantage is associated with heavier drinking in high but not middle-income countries participating in the International Alcohol Control Study

Abstract: Introduction and aims To investigate if socio-economic disadvantage, at the individual- and country-level, is associated with heavier drinking in some middle- and high-income countries. Design and methods Surveys of drinkers were undertaken in some high- and middle-income countries. Participating countries were Australia, England, New Zealand, Scotland (high-income) and Peru, Thailand and Vietnam (middle-income). Disadvantage at the country-level was defined as per World Bank (categorised as middle-or high-income); individual-level measures were (i) years of education and (ii) whether and individual was under or over the poverty line in each country. Measures of heavier drinking were (i) proportion of drinkers that consumed 8+ drinks and (ii) three drinking risk groups (lower, increasing and higher). Multi-level logistic regression models were used. Results Individual-level measures of disadvantage, lower education and living in poverty, were associated with heavier drinking, consuming 8+ drinks on a typical occasion or drinking at the higher risk level, when all countries were considered together. Drinkers in the middle-income countries had a higher probability of consuming 8+ drinks on a typical occasion relative to drinkers in the high-income countries. Interactions between country-level income and individual-level disadvantage were undertaken: disadvantaged drinkers in the middle-income countries were less likely to be heavier drinkers relative to those with less disadvantage in the high-income countries. Discussion and conclusions Associations between socio-economic disadvantage and heavier drinking vary depending on country-level income. These findings highlight the value of exploring cross-country differences in heavier drinking and disadvantage and the importance of including country-level measurements to better elucidate relationships.

Shaping the Health Policy Agenda: The Case of Safe Motherhood Policy in Vietnam.

Abstract: Background: Maternal health remains a central policy concern in Vietnam. With a commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 target of maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 70/100 000 by 2015, the Ministry of Health (MoH) issued the National Plan for Safe Motherhood (NPSM) 2003-2010. In 2008, reproductive health, including safe motherhood (SM) became a national health target program with annual government funding. Methods: A case study of how SM emerged as a political priority in Vietnam over the period 2001-2008, drawing on Kingdon’s theory of agenda-setting was conducted. A mixed method was adopted for this study of the NPSM. Results: Three related streams contributed to SM priority in Vietnam: (1) the problem of high MMR was officially recognized from high-quality research, (2) the strong roles of policy champion from MoH in advocating for the needs to reducing MMR as well as support from government and donors, and (3) the national and international events, providing favorable context for this issue to emerge on policy agenda. Conclusion: This paper draws on the theory of agenda-setting to analyze the Vietnam experience and to develop guidance for SM a political priority in other high maternal mortality communities.

Smoking Media Literacy in Vietnamese Adolescents

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Smoking media literacy (SML) has been found to be independently associated with reduced current smoking and reduced susceptibility to future smoking in a sample of American adolescents, but not in other populations of adolescents. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess SML in Vietnamese adolescents and to determine the association with smoking behavior and susceptibility to future smoking. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 2000 high school students completed the SML scale, which is based on an integrated theoretical framework of media literacy, and items assessing cigarette use. Ordinal logistic regression was used to determine the association of SML with smoking and susceptibility to future smoking. Ordinal logistic regression was also to determine whether smoking in the past 30 days was associated with the 8 domains/core concepts of media literacy which comprise the SML. RESULTS: Smoking media literacy was lower among the Vietnamese adolescents than what has been previously reported in American adolescents. Ordinal logistic regression analysis results showed that in the total sample SML was associated with reduced smoking, but there was no association with susceptibility to future smoking. Further analysis showed that results differed according to school and grade level. There did not appear to be association of smoking with the specific domains/concepts that comprise the SML. CONCLUSIONS: The association of SML with reduced smoking suggests the need for further research involving SML, including the testing of media literacy training interventions, in Vietnamese adolescents and also other populations of adolescents.