A Cluster Randomised Control Trial of an SMS-Based Intervention to Promote Antenatal Health amongst Pregnant Women in a Remote, Highland Region of Vietnam.

Although Vietnam has achieved significant improvements in maternal, newborn, and children's health, outcomes for ethnic minorities living in remote mountainous areas continue to lag. Interventions that leverage the extensive mobile networks in the country have been proposed as a way to overcome some of these challenges. A cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT) was conducted to assess the effectiveness of an intervention comprising tailored SMS messages for promoting antenatal care knowledge and behaviours amongst ethnic minority (EM) pregnant women. The cRCT was implemented across eight intervention communes (640 women) and four control communes (315 women) in Northern Vietnam. Maternal health-related knowledge and behaviour outcomes and self-rated health status were assessed through questionnaires administered pre- and post-intervention. Difference-in-difference and logistic regression analysis found that the intervention group showed significant improvements in awareness about the danger signs of pregnancy and the importance of nutritional supplements. Significant improvements were seen in antenatal care-seeking behaviours and the intake of nutritional supplements. Mobile messaging-based behaviour change interventions can significantly improve maternal health-related knowledge and care-seeking amongst women residing in marginalised, hard-to-reach populations.

Diet Quality Index and Food Choice Motives in Vietnam: The Roles of Sensory Appeal, Mood, Convenience, and Familiarity.

Food choices that shape human diets and health are influenced by various socio-economic factors. Vietnam struggles to meet many nutrition targets where links between food choice and diet have not been widely explored. This study assesses the food choice motives, based on a 28-item food choice questionnaire (FCQ), and the diet quality of 603 adults in three sites (urban, peri-urban, and rural) in northern Vietnam. We assess diet quality using the Diet Quality Index-Vietnam (DQI-V) which consists of variety, adequacy, moderation, and balance components. Using factor analysis, we grouped FCQ items into five factors: health focus, sensory appeal, mood ethics, convenience, and familiarity. The structural equation modeling indicates that food choice motives significantly impact the DQI-V and its components but in different directions. The results show that sensory appeal has a positive association with the overall DQI-V score, while having a negative impact on the variety component. Findings present a potential trade-off issue for interventions and policies related to food products. Nutrition knowledge is positively associated with all elements of diet quality across all three study sites. Vietnamese agrobiodiversity could be better utilized to increase dietary diversity. Differentiated policies are necessary to address the poor dietary diversity and adequacy in northern Vietnam.