Wearing masks as a protective measure for children against traffic-related air pollution: A comparison of perceptions between school children and their caregivers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Background: Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) problems are unlikely to be solved in the short term, making it imperative to educate children on protective measures to mitigate the negative impact on their health. Children and their caregivers may hold differing views on wearing a face mask as a safeguard against air pollution. While many studies have focused on predicting children's health-protective behaviours against air pollution, few have explored the differences in perceptions between children and their caregivers.

Burden of asthma-like symptoms and a lack of recognition of asthma in Vietnamese children.

Objective: Lack of recognition of asthma in childhood results in unmet asthma treatment needs and leads to the risk of sub-optimal respiratory health. The present study assessed the prevalence of asthmatic under-recognition in middle school children in Vietnam.

Methods: We conducted a school-based survey among 15,112 Vietnamese children.