Demand for mental health support services among health professionals in Vietnam: Lesson from COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to measure the preferences for mental health support among health professionals, their willingness to support the mental health of colleagues and associated factors. METHOD: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed from August to October 2022 within five hospitals located in Hanoi, Vietnam. A total of 244 health professionals participated in the study. Data on socio-economic status, health and COVID-19-related characteristics, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21); and preferences for mental health support services were collected by using a structured self-reported questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression models were utilized to identify associated factors with the demand for mental support services. RESULTS: 13.9%, 17.1% and 8.6% reported having at least mild depression, anxiety and stress, respectively. There 13.9% did not seek any mental health support during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most common support included talking with friends (52.9%), family (50.8%), colleagues (47.6%) and using social networks/Internet (43.5%). There 31.1% had been aware of mental health services, but only 18.0% used this service at least once. Regarding preferences, 47.3% had a demand for mental support services, and the most preferred service was providing coping skills (25.9%), followed by skills to support others against mental problems (22.2%). Major sources of support included psychiatrists (34.4%), colleagues (29.1%) and family (27.9%). The main preferred channels for support included telephone/mobile phone (35.7%) and Internet (20.9%). Only 12.3% were willing to provide mental support for colleagues during the pandemic. Age, education, perceived mental health status, ever seeking any mental service, and DASS-21 depression score were associated with demand for mental support services. CONCLUSION: This study found a lack of awareness of mental health services for health professionals, as well as moderate levels of demand for this service in this population. Raising awareness and developing tailored mental health support services are important to enhancing the mental well-being of health professionals in Vietnam to prepare for the next pandemic.

Characteristics of unexpected antibodies in patients with blood disorders: Evidence in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: In Vietnam, a lack of evidence about the unexpected antibodies hinders the capabilities to prepare the necessary resources and personnel for treating patients with blood disorders. This study aimed to measure the rates of different unexpected antibodies in patients having blood orders in Vietnam. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Institute of Hematology - Blood Transfusion, Vietnam on 5608 patients with blood disorders. Information was obtained from the medical records, blood transfusion forms, screening test forms. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of unexpected antibodies in patients with haematological disorders was 9.3%. The most prevalent occurrence was the presence of an atypical antibody type, accounting for 61% of patients. The co-occurrence of this atypical antibody type and other types of antibodies was also observed, with the respective occurrence rates of 23.9%, 10.1%, 3.8%, and 1.2% for the combination of two, three, four, and five unexpected antibody types. The presence of one type of unexpected antibody was predominant, namely anti-E, accounting for the highest proportion (32.9%), followed by anti-Mia (18.4%). Among the 125 patients, the most frequently observed combination of abnormal antibodies was anti-E with anti-c (14.3%) and anti-E with anti-Mia (3.4%). Among the cohort of 53 patients exhibiting three types of unexpected antibodies, the most prevalent combination observed was anti-c, anti-E, and anti-Mia (5.7%). CONCLUSION: This study revealed a prevalence rate of 9.3% in the presence of unexpected antibodies in patients with blood disorders. The occurrence of individual unexpected antibodies surpasses that of coordinated antibodies.

Blood Pressure Control and Associations with Social Support among Hypertensive Outpatients in a Developing Country.

Relationships between social support characteristics with blood pressure control and recommended behaviors in Vietnamese hypertensive patients have not been investigated. This study is aimed at examining the role of social support characteristics in hypertension control and behaviors. Patients with hypertension (n = 220) in Hanoi, Vietnam, were recruited into a cross-sectional study. Both functional and structural characteristics of social support and network were examined. Results showed that increasing total network size was related to 52% higher odds of uncontrolled hypertension (adjusted OR = 1.52, 95%CI = 1.22 - 1.89). Higher network sizes on the provision of information support related to advice, emotional support related to decisions, and practical support related to sickness were associated with lower odds of uncontrolled hypertension. Every additional 1% of the percentage of network members having hypertension decreased 2% the odds of uncontrolled hypertension (adjusted OR = 0.98, 95%CI = 0.96 - 1.00). A 1% additional network members who were living in the same household was associated with a decrease of 0.08 point of behavioral adherence score (coef. = -0.08; 95%CI = -0.12 - 0.03). Meanwhile, a 1% increase of network members who were friends on the provision of practical support related to sickness and jobs was related to an increase of 0.10 point and 0.19 point of behavioral adherence score (coef. = 0.10; 95%CI = 0.04 - 0.17 and coef. = 0.19; 95%CI = 0.06 - 0.32, respectively). The current study suggested that further interventions to improve hypertension management should address the potential effects of social network characteristics.

Factors Associated with Glycaemic Control among Diabetic Patients Managed at an Urban Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) epidemic is rising in Vietnam. Identifying associated factors with glycaemic control in patients with T2DM is vital to improve treatment outcomes. This study is aimed at examining the uncontrolled glycaemic level of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) at an urban hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam, and determining associated factors. An observational longitudinal cohort survey was performed among T2DM patients. Glycaemic control was evaluated by using the HbA1c level ≥ 6.5% or fasting blood glucose level ≥ 7.5 g/mmol. Information about sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics was collected. Multivariate mixed-effects logistic regression was employed to identify associated factors with control glycaemic level conditions. Among 189 T2DM patients, 70.4% had an uncontrolled glycaemic level. A higher number of comorbidities were associated with a lower likelihood of having uncontrolled glycaemic levels (OR = 0.71, p < 0.001, 95%CI = 0.52 - 0.98). Meanwhile, a higher body mass index (OR = 1.15, p < 0.05, 95%CI = 1.02 - 1.29), higher initial HbA1C (OR = 3.75, p < 0.01, 95%CI = 2.59 - 5.44), and higher initial fasting blood glucose levels (OR = 1.57, p < 0.01, 95%CI = 1.29 - 1.90) were positively associated with a higher risk of uncontrolled glycaemic levels. This study reveals that poor glycaemic control was common among T2DM patients in the urban hospital in Vietnam. Findings underlined the need for appropriate management strategies to control glycaemic levels and weight in this population.

Racial and ethnic differences in health behaviors among cancer survivors.

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies of health behaviors of adult cancer survivors have not adequately examined racial and ethnic differences because of small sample sizes. A national data set was used to examine differences in health behaviors between cancer survivors and controls and between racial and ethnic groups among survivors. METHODS: The study analyzed 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey data in 2012-2014. Descriptive statistics were used to examine differences in health behaviors between cancer survivors and controls aged 20-64 years. Multivariable analysis was conducted to examine associations between race/ethnicity (white, African American, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American) and health behaviors (BMI, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and smoking status) while adjusting for demographic and medical characteristics. Significance was set at p<0.01. RESULTS: Compared with controls (n=245,283), cancer survivors (n=17,158) had higher prevalence rates for overweight/obese status (67% vs 65%); not meeting physical activity recommendations (53% vs 49%); and current smoking status (22% vs 20%). In the multivariable model, diet and smoking behavior differed across cancer status. African American (AOR=1.95) and Hispanic (AOR=2.06) survivors were more likely to have higher BMI than white survivors. African American survivors (AOR=1.6) were less likely to meet physical activity guidelines. Native American (AOR=3.08) and multiracial (AOR=1.74) survivors were more likely to be current smokers than non-Hispanic white survivors. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that racial and ethnic differences exist in the adoption of recommended health behaviors; future research should identify factors to reduce these differences.

Scalable fabrication of high-performance NO2 gas sensors based on tungsten oxide nanowires by on-chip growth and RuO2-functionalization.

The on-chip growth and surface-functionalization have been recently regarded as promising techniques for large-scale fabrication of high performance nanowires gas sensors. Here we demonstrate a good NO2 gas-sensing performance of the tungsten oxide nanowires (TONWs) sensors realized by scalable on-chip fabrication and RuO2-functionalization. The gas response (Rg/Ra) of the RuO2-functionalized TONWs to 5 ppm of NO2 was 186.1 at 250 °C, which increased up to ∼18.6-fold compared with that of the bare TONWs. On the contrary, the responses of the bare and functionalized sensors to 10 ppm of NH3, 10 ppm of H2S and 10 ppm of CO gases were very low of about 1.5, indicating the good selectivity. In addition, the TONW sensors fabricated by the on-chip growth technique exhibited a good reversibility up to 7 cycles switching from air-to-gas with a response of 19.8 ± 0.033 (to 1 ppm of NO2), and this value was almost the same (about 19.5 ± 0.027) for 11 cycles after three months storage in laboratory condition. The response and selectivity enhancement of RuO2-functionalzied TONWs sensors was attributed to the variation of electron depletion layer due to the formation of RuO2/TONWs Schottky junctions and/or the promotion of more adsorption sites for NO2 gas molecule on the surface of TONWs, whereas the good reversibility was attributed to the formation of the stable monoclinic WO3 from the single crystal of monoclinic W18O49 after annealing at 600 °C.

Assessing willingness to pay for improved sanitation in rural Vietnam.

OBJECTIVE: The willingness to pay (WTP) for the construction of bathrooms with a flush toilet was assessed in households in a rural community in northern Vietnam. We also examined the effects of socio-economic factors on the WTP. METHODS: The contingent valuation method, an economic survey technique, was used. We used the iterative bidding game technique to elicit household WTP that involved a sequence of dichotomous choice questions followed by a final open-ended question. A total of 370 households that did not have toilets were selected for this study. Respondents to the questionnaire were the primary income earners and decision-makers of their respective household. RESULTS: Of those responding to the questionnaire, 62.1 % reported being willing to pay for the construction of bathrooms with a flush toilet. The mean and median of maximum WTP amounts were Viet Nam Dong (VND) 15.6 million and VND 13.0 million, respectively (minimum VND 2.0 million; maximum VND 45.0 million). Significant correlates of the WTP rate were: (1) gender of the head of household, (2) age of the head of household, (3) economic status of household, (4) type of current toilet, (5) satisfaction with existing toilet, and (6) knowledge of health effects of poor sanitation. The significant determinants of WTP amount were (1) geographic location and (2) economic status of household. CONCLUSION: About two-third of the households in the study area were willing to pay for an improvement in their current sanitation arrangements. Both WTP rate and WP amount were strongly influenced by the economic status of the households and health knowledge of the study respondents.

Estimating prevalence, incidence, and disease-related mortality for patients with epilepsy in managed care organizations.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to apply computer algorithms to an administrative data set to identify the prevalence of epilepsy, incidence of epilepsy, and epilepsy-related mortality of patients in a managed care organization (MCO). METHODS: The study population consisted of members enrolled in Lovelace Health Plan, a component of Lovelace Health Systems, a statewide MCO headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Patient records were obtained from July 1996 to June 2001. Four logistic regression models with high sensitivity and specificity were applied to 1-, 3-, and 5-year time frames in which members were continuously enrolled in the MCO. Incidence was defined for patients who did not have an epilepsy-associated code in the 18 months before the first diagnosis entry. Mortality estimates in the population also were assessed by using a matched control group and linkage to a statewide death registry. RESULTS: The data yielded estimated prevalence rates of 7-10 per 1,000, depending on age, sex, ethnicity, and time interval. Annualized incidence was 47 per 100,000 for members continuously enrolled for 3 years and 71 per 100,000 for members continuously enrolled for 5 years. Crude mortality rates were 2-2.5 times higher for epilepsy patients identified with the algorithms than for the matched controls. Conditional logistic regression indicated that the odds of death for epilepsy patients as compared with controls ranged from 1.24 to 2.06. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate estimation of prevalence, incidence, and mortality rates for epilepsy is an essential component of disease management in MCOs. The algorithms in this project can be used to monitor trends in prevalence, incidence, and mortality to inform decisions critical to improving the health care needs and quality of life for patients with epilepsy.