Risk Factors of Preterm Delivery in the Lao PDR: Hospital-Based Matched Case-Control Study.

Objective: To describe the risk factors among mothers in four central hospitals and two provincial hospitals in the Lao PDR, a lower-middle-income country in Southeast Asia.

Method: The study used a hospital-based matched case-control design study. Purposive sampling was used to select 320 mothers (80 cases and 240 controls) from the six hospitals.

International stakeholder perspectives on One Health training and empowerment: a needs assessment for a One Health Workforce Academy.

Background: One Health is defined as an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems; this approach attracts stakeholders from multiple sectors, academic disciplines, and professional practices. The diversity of expertise and interest groups is frequently and simultaneously framed as (1) a strength of the One Health approach in the process of understanding and solving complex problems associated with health challenges such as pathogen spillovers and pandemics and (2) a challenge regarding consensus on essential functions of One Health and the sets of knowledge, skills, and perspectives unique to a workforce adopting this approach. Progress in developing competency-based training in One Health has revealed coverage of various topics across fundamental, technical, functional, and integrative domains.

Exposure to E-Cigarette Advertising and Its Association With E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Adolescents in Two Largest Cities in Vietnam 2020.

Background: E-cigarette products have become more popular due to the marketing campaigns on various sources but caused adverse health impacts to users, especially adolescents and youths. This paper aims to describe the situation of exposure to e-cigarette advertisements of youth and adolescents living in two cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh in 2020 and identify the associated factors of e-cigarette marketing with e-cigarettes use in these groups.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study.

Mortality risk according to smoking trajectories after cancer diagnosis among Korean male cancer survivors: A population-based cohort study.

Introduction: Previous research on post-diagnosis smoking among cancer survivors mainly relied on smoking status, which may not fully reflect the impact of changes in smoking levels. This study aimed to evaluate mortality risk according to smoking trajectories among Korean male cancer survivors, using a trajectory approach to comprehensively capture smoking patterns.

Methods: The study included 110555 men diagnosed with cancer between 2002 and 2018 from the Korean National Health Information Database.

Smoking Cessation, Quit Attempts and Predictive Factors among Vietnamese Adults in 2020.

Objective: This study aims to describe the updated smoking cessation and quit attempt rates and associated factors among Vietnamese adults in 2020.

Methods: Data on tobacco use among adults in Vietnam in 2020 was derived from the Provincial Global Adult Tobacco Survey. The participants in the study were people aged 15 and older.

Association between Hypertension and Stroke Recurrence as Modified by Pro-oxidant-Antioxidant Balance: A Multi-Center Study.

Background: Hypertension and oxidative stress are involved in the pathophysiological mechanism of stroke. We aimed to investigate the modification impact of the pro-oxidant-anti-oxidant balance (PAB) on the association between hypertension and stroke recurrence (SR).

Methods: A cross-sectional design was conducted from December 2019 to December 2020 in 951 stroke patients in six hospitals across Vietnam.

Evidence-based geriatric knowledge among healthcare providers in Vietnam: adaptation, validation, and pilot of the knowledge about older patients quiz.

Background: Vietnam's aging population is growing rapidly, but its health workforce's capacity to provide quality geriatric care is not clearly understood. We aimed to provide a cross-culturally relevant and validated instrument to assess evidence-based geriatric knowledge among healthcare providers in Vietnam.

Methods: We translated the Knowledge about Older Patients Quiz from English to Vietnamese using cross-cultural adaptation methods.

Novel hazards of waterpipe tobacco and the benefits of stop smoking in men, a prospective cohort study.

Waterpipe smoking is an emerging epidemic and a severe public health problem worldwide. Observational studies on the hazards of a specific new waterpipe tobacco product are timely needed. The objectives were to analyze how dangerous waterpipe tobacco smoking is on the causes of all mortality, including cancer, and how effective smoking cessation is for improving health.

Proportion and number of cancer cases and deaths attributable to behavioral risk factors in Vietnam.

Identifying modifiable risk factors that contribute to cancer is essential in setting up preventive strategies. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the number and proportion of cancer cases and deaths attributable to five behavior-related risk factors-tobacco smoking, second-hand smoking, alcohol consumption, high body mass index and insufficient physical activity in Vietnam in 2020. Population attributable fractions were calculated for relationships of risk factors and cancer types based on sufficient evidence according to IARC or strong evidence according to WCRF/AICR.

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in environmental samples and faecal samples from biogas users in Bac Giang, Vietnam.

Little is known about Cryptosporidium and Giardia in biogas waste and humans in Vietnam. There is a potential risk of infections during or after using the biogas system. The detected protozoan genotypes are zoonotic pathogens, and contamination of vegetables may relay through runoff to the surface waters and soil.

Self-reported Communicable Diseases and Associated Socio-demographic Status Among Ethnic Minority Populations in Vietnam.

Introduction: This study was conducted to identify the self-reported communicable diseases (CDs) rate and associated factors among ethnic minority populations in Vietnam.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 6912 ethnic minority participants from 12 provinces located in four socioeconomic regions in Vietnam. A total of 4985 participants were included in the final analysis.

Effective alcohol policies are associated with reduced consumption among demographic groups who drink heavily.

Background: Alcohol policies stand out among other noncommunicable disease-relevant policies for the lack of uptake. Composite indicators have been developed to measure the effects of alcohol control policy. We investigated whether drinking patterns among demographic groups from general population samples of drinkers from diverse countries are associated with alcohol control policy as measured by the International Alcohol Control (IAC) Policy Index.

Anxiety and associated factors among Vietnamese students during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

Mental health care for students in general, particularly anxiety, is a significant problem that needs more attention, especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of anxiety and examine the associated factors among students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. A cross-sectional study was conducted from August to September 2021 among 5730 students.

Using the WHO Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) to Detect Symptoms of Common Mental Disorders among Pregnant Women in Vietnam: a Validation Study.

Purpose: Detection of antenatal common mental disorders in low-resource settings like Vietnam is important and requires a reliable, valid and practical screening tool. Currently, there is no such tool validated for use among pregnant women in Vietnam. This study aims to assess the validity of the Vietnamese version of the 20-item Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) by evaluating its reliability, factorial structure, and performance in detecting common mental disorder (CMD) symptoms, thereby identifying the optimum cut-off score for CMD screening among pregnant women in Vietnam.

Patient-centered care and geriatric knowledge translation among healthcare providers in Vietnam: translation and validation of the patient-centered care measure.

Background: People are living longer, and the majority of aging people reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, inappropriate healthcare contributes to health disparities between populations of aging people and leads to care dependency and social isolation. Tools to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of quality improvement interventions for geriatric care in LMICs are limited.

Estimating the health impacts of sugar-sweetened beverage tax for informing policy decisions about the obesity burden in Vietnam.

Background: Taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has been adopted in more than 40 countries but remained under discussion in Vietnam. This study aimed to estimate the health impacts of different SSBs tax plans currently under discussion to provide an evidence base to inform decision-making about a SSBs tax policy in Vietnam.

Method & Findings: Five tax scenarios were modelled, representing three levels of price increase: 5%, 11% and 19-20%.

Benchmarking alcohol policy based on stringency and impact: The International Alcohol Control (IAC) policy index.

This study developed a measurement tool to assess stringency and 'on-the-ground' impact of four key alcohol policy domains to create an alcohol policy index suitable for benchmarking alcohol policy and assessing change over time in middle- and high-income countries. It involved a collaboration between researchers in 12 diverse countries: New Zealand; Australia; England; Scotland; Netherlands; Vietnam; Thailand; South Africa; Turkey; Chile; Saint Kitts and Nevis and Mongolia. Data on the four most effective alcohol policy domains (availability, pricing policy, alcohol marketing, drink driving) were used to create an alcohol policy index based on their association with alcohol per capita consumption (APC) of commercial (recorded) alcohol.

Effects of Heatwaves on Hospital Admissions for Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases, in Southern Vietnam, 2010-2018: Time Series Analysis.

This study investigated the associations between heatwaves and daily hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in two provinces in Viet Nam known to be vulnerable to droughts during 2010-2018. This study applied a time series analysis with data extracted from the electronic database of provincial hospitals and meteorological stations from the corresponding province. To eliminate over-dispersion, this time series analysis used Quasi-Poisson regression.

A facilitated social innovation: stakeholder groups using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles for perinatal health across levels of the health system in Cao Bang province, Vietnam.

Background: Universal coverage of evidence-based interventions for perinatal health, often part of evidence-based guidelines, could prevent most perinatal deaths, particularly if entire communities were engaged in the implementation. Social innovations may provide creative solutions to the implementation of evidence-based guidelines, but successful use of social innovations relies on the engagement of communities and health system actors. This proof-of-concept study aimed to assess whether an earlier successful social innovation for improved neonatal survival that employed regular facilitated Plan-Do-Study-Act meetings on the commune level was feasible and acceptable when implemented on multiple levels of the health system (52 health units) and resulted in actions with plausibly favourable effects on perinatal health and survival in Cao Bang province, northern Vietnam.

Trajectory of physical activity frequency and cancer risk: Findings from a population-based cohort study.

Background: Physical activity (PA) changes throughout an individual's life, but the association between such changes and cancer risk seems to be overlooked in the literature. Thus, this study aimed to examine the association between the trajectories of PA frequency and cancer incidence among middle-aged Korean adults.

Methods: A total of 1,476,335 eligible participants (992,151 men and 484,184 women) aged ≥40 years from the National Health Insurance Service cohort (2002-2018) were included.

Alcoholic liver disease in relation to cancer incidence and mortality: Findings from a large, matched cohort study in South Korea.

Aim: To estimate the risk of cancer incidence and mortality among patients with alcoholic liver disease in South Korea.

Methods: A matched cohort study was conducted, including 1,042,185 men (alcoholic liver disease cases: 208,437; controls: 833,748) and 100,400 women (alcoholic liver disease cases: 20,080; controls: 80,320), matched for sex, age, smoking, alcohol consumption, and body mass index at a 1:4 ratio. The risk of cancer incidence and mortality in the alcoholic liver disease group was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression models.

Nurses' perceptions about patient safety culture in public hospital in Vietnam.

Aim: This paper is aimed to assess nurses' perceptions of patient safety culture in four public general hospitals in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Background: Patient safety culture is a vital component in ensuring high quality and safe patient care. Assessment of nurses' perceptions on existing hospital patient safety culture (PSC) is the first step to promote PSC.

COVID and Gender: A Narrative Review of the Asia-Pacific Region.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the largest infectious disease epidemic to affect the human race since the great influenza pandemic of 1918-19 and is close to approaching the number of deaths from the earlier epidemic. A review of available data and the numerous currently available studies on COVID-19 shows that the rate of clinical cases is about 10% greater in females than males in Asia. However, the number of deaths is greater in males than in females.