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.

Validation of a Brief CES-D Scale for Measuring Depression and Its Associated Predictors among Adolescents in Chi Linh, Hai Duong, Vietnam

Abstract: Objectives: The aims of this paper were to confirm the validity and reliability of a brief CES-D measure for depression and identify the associated factors with the depression among adolescents and youth in Chi Linh, Hai Duong province, Vietnam. Methods: We used data from a prospective-longitudinal study of adolescents and youth (aged 13-17 at baseline) and their parent (N = 1402 mother/father-child dyads). Adolescents’ depression was assessed in 2009 and 2013. Parents’ connectedness was measured in 2013. Confirmatory factor Analysis (CFA) was used to certify the elementary factors produced by PCA using Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Tucker Lewis Index (TLI) and RMSEA. Multivariate linear regression was used to predict the factors associated with depression. Results: The results demonstrate that the depression items correspond as CFI (0.89), TLI (0.87) and RMSEA (0.084) are acceptable fit indices. The mean score of depression among adolescents and youth was 30.9 (Min = 16 and Max = 70; SD = 8.3). Age (β = -0.01; CI 95% = -0.1; -0.03), parent and youth can talk freely (β = -0.042; CI 95% = -0.08; -0.001) and good health status (β = -0.07; CI 95% = -0.1; -0.03) were found to be significantly associated with depression. Conclusions: Depression scale should be widely applied for screening the depression symptoms of adolescents and youth population. The necessary strategies should be implemented to improve the adolescent and young population’s depression status.

Lessons learned from stakeholders in a facilitation intervention targeting neonatal health in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam

Abstract: In northern Vietnam the Neonatal health - Knowledge Into Practice (NeoKIP, Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN44599712) trial has evaluated facilitation as a knowledge translation intervention to improve neonatal survival. The results demonstrated that intervention sites, each having an assigned group including local stakeholders supported by a facilitator, lowered the neonatal mortality rate by 50% during the last intervention year compared with control sites. This process evaluation was conducted to identify and describe mechanisms of the NeoKIP intervention based on experiences of facilitators and intervention group members. Four focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with all facilitators at different occasions and 12 FGDs with 6 intervention groups at 2 occasions. Fifteen FGDs were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated into English, and analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes and 17 sub-themes emerged from the 3 FGDs with facilitators, and 5 themes and 18 sub-themes were identified from the 12 FGDs with the intervention groups mirroring the process of, and the barriers to, the intervention. Facilitators and intervention group members concurred that having groups representing various organisations was beneficial. Facilitators were considered important in assembling the groups. The facilitators functioned best if coming from the same geographical area as the groups and if they were able to come to terms with the chair of the groups. However, the facilitators’ lack of health knowledge was regarded as a deficit for assisting the groups’ assignments. FGD participants experienced the NeoKIP intervention to have impact on the knowledge and behaviour of both intervention group members and the general public, however, they found that the intervention was a slow and time-consuming process. Perceived facilitation barriers were lack of money, inadequate support, and the function of the intervention groups. This qualitative process evaluation contributes to explain the improved neonatal survival and why this occurred after a latent period in the NeoKIP project. The used knowledge translation intervention, where facilitators supported multi-stakeholder coalitions with the mandate to impact upon attitudes and behaviour in the communes, has low costs and potential for being scaled-up within existing healthcare systems.

The use of total assets as a proxy for socioeconomic status in northern Vietnam.

Abstract: Recently, total assets have become a popular method to capture socioeconomic status (SES) for health research/intervention done in developing countries. Although, this method is suitable for areas in a rural setting, there are 2 major issues in applying this method: (a) which durable assets/infrastructure or housing characteristics truly reflect the family SES and (b) how to aggregate different variables to get a derived index of SES and produce a range of critical points differentiating socioeconomic levels. This study aims to validate the use of total asset as proxy for SES by addressing these issues. Results indicated that (a) variables reflecting family SES in rural setting area include variables capturing access to utilities and infrastructure, housing characteristics, and durable asset ownership; (b) principal component analysis is a suitable method to construct a derived index from multiple variables; and (c) the derived index is a valid indicator for SES in rural setting area.

Assessment of health professional education across five Asian countries-a protocol.

Abstract: There is an increasing consensus globally that the education of health professionals is failing to keep pace with scientific, social, and economic changes transforming the healthcare environment. This catalyzed a movement in reforming education of health professionals across Bangladesh, China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam who jointly volunteered to implement and conduct cooperative, comparative, and suitable health professional education assessments with respect to the nation’s socio-economic and cultural status, as well as domestic health service system. The 5C network undertook a multi-country health professional educational study to provide its countries with evidence for HRH policymaking. Its scope was limited to the assessment of medical, nursing, and public health education at three levels within each country: national, institutional, and graduate level (including about to graduate students and alumni). This paper describes the general issues related to health professional education and the protocols used in a five-country assessment of medical, nursing, and public health education. A common protocol for the situation analysis survey was developed that included tools to undertake a national and institutional assessment, and graduate surveys among about-to-graduate and graduates for medical, nursing, and public health professions. Data collection was conducted through a mixture of literature reviews and qualitative research. The national assessment would serve as a resource for countries to plan HRH-related future actions.