Unmet needs for care for activities of daily living among older adults with functional disabilities in Vietnam.

Background: Given its low-middle-income status, Vietnam is experiencing a rapidly aging population. Along with this demographic trend, the care needs of older adults, particularly those with functional disabilities, have become an emerging policy issue. Purpose: This study examined the prevalence of unmet needs for care in activities of daily living (ADLs) among Vietnamese older adults with functional disabilities. Methods: We used data from the Population Change and Family Planning Survey (PCS) in 2021, which was a nationally representative survey. Cross-tabulations and logistic regressions were applied to identify older adults' individual and household factors associated with their unmet care needs. Results: Overall, 4.80% of older adults with at least one functional disability needing care to perform one or more ADLs suffered from unmet needs, of whom 2.32% did not receive any care and 3.05% received insufficient assistance. Logistic regression results revealed that age, sex, place of residence, ethnicity, marital status, education levels, and self-rated health were significantly associated with unmet needs. The higher risk of having unmet needs is associated with those in middle age (70-79), men, rural residents, ethnic minorities, currently unmarried people, those with less than a primary educational level, and those with normal or poor self-rated health. Conclusion: Attention should be paid to vulnerable older adults, such as those living in rural areas with poor health status, in order to reduce their unmet needs for ADL assistance.

Exploring the potential of ZnO-Ag@AgBr/SBA-15 Z-scheme heterostructure for efficient wastewater treatment: synthesis, characterization, and real-world applications.

This study reports on the synthesis and characterization of ZnO-Ag@AgBr/SBA-15 composites using natural halloysite clay from Yenbai Province, Vietnam, as a silica aluminum source. The synthesized materials demonstrated visible light absorption with a band gap energy range of 2.63-2.98 eV. The dual Z-scheme ZnO-Ag@AgBr/SBA-15 heterojunction exhibited superior catalytic performance compared to ZnO/SBA-15 and Ag@AgBr/SBA-15, owing to its improved electron transfer and reduced electron and hole recombination rate. In particular, the photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO-Ag@AgBr/SBA-15 was evaluated for the removal of harmful phenol red from wastewater under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic process was optimized by varying the phenol red concentration, pH, and catalyst dosage, and showed that 98.8% of phenol red in 100 mL wastewater (pH = 5.5) can be removed using 40 mg of 20%ZnO-Ag@AgBr/SBA-15 within 120 min. Furthermore, the degradation pathway of phenol red was predicted using liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Finally, the photocatalytic process was successfully tested using water samples collected from the four main domestic waste sources in Hanoi, including the To Lich River, the Hong River, the Hoan Kiem Lake, and the West Lake, demonstrating the high potential of the ZnO-Ag@AgBr/SBA-15 photocatalyst for phenol red degradation in real-world wastewater treatment applications.

Factors associated with receipt of informal care among the Vietnamese older persons: Evidence from a national survey.

Background: The rapidly growing older population in Vietnam poses an increasing need for care among the older persons, who have mainly relied on informal care at homes and communities. This study examined the Vietnamese older persons' individual and household factors determining their receipt of informal care. Methods: This study provided cross-tabulations and multivariable regression analyses to identify who provided assistance to the Vietnamese older people along with their individual and household characteristics. Data: The nationally representative survey on older persons, namely Vietnam Aging Survey (VNAS) in 2011 was used in this study. Results: We found that proportions of older persons having difficulty in activities of daily living (ADLs) were different in regard to their age, sex, marital status, health status, working status, and living arrangements. In care provision, gender differences were clear, in which females generally had significantly higher rates of providing care to older persons than their male counterparts. Conclusion: Care for older persons in Vietnam has been mainly provided by their families, and thus changes in socio-economic, demographic factors along with differences among generations in family values will be a key challenge to maintain such care arrangements.