Satisfaction of patients hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam

This study aims to describe the level of satisfaction of patients and their families, according to the type of hospital and the sociodemographic characteristics of patients hospitalised within Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. The study is supported by a sample of 538 patients and their families from all of the hospitals in HCMC to whom an evaluation questionnaire was given to be filled out on the day of their release. The average age is 39, and 64.4% are women. The scores measuring the level of satisfaction vary from 57.7 to 90.7 points (on a scale of 0 to 100). The section under the heading "treatment provided by the doctors" received the highest scores (90.7/100). Dissatisfaction was primarily associated with factors such as the amount of time spent waiting, the behaviour of the hospital staff, cleanliness, the cafeteria and parking for motorbikes. Almost 100% of the patients spoke about their experiences during their stay in the hospital, and 50.2% had some negative opinions (1.042 complaints registered). The older patients, having a lower level of education and living either in other cities or in the rural region of HCMC, tented to be more satisfied than the younger patients, possessing higher levels of education and generally residing in the sub-urban or urban regions of HCMC. The patients who judged their condition to be very serious and their problems bad enough to justify hospitalisation, and who also felt that their health and condition had improved at the time of release compared to the time of admission were more satisfied than the other patients. Patients hospitalised who had an individual private room in a specialised hospital tended to be more satisfied that those who had a room sharing many beds for several patients in either a general hospital or in the emergency area of a specialised hospital. The authors observed no correlation between the level of satisfaction and the patient's gender. The results of this study have highlighed that certain domains, notably hat of the hospital's environment, should be reviewed and examined by health care administrators and managers in order to ensure the quality of the patient's care and coverage.     

HIV and tuberculosis in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 1997-2002

In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, reporting rates for tuberculosis (TB) are rising in an emerging HIV epidemic. To describe the HIV epidemic among TB patients and quantify its impact on rates of reported TB, we performed a repeated cross-sectional survey from 1997 through 2002 in a randomly selected sample of inner city TB patients. We assessed effect by adjusting TB case reporting rates by the fraction of TB cases attributable to HIV infection. HIV prevalence in TB patients rose exponentially from 1.5% to 9.0% during the study period. Young (<35 years), single, male patients were mostly affected; injection drug use was a potent risk factor. After correction for HIV infection, the trend in TB reporting rates changed from a 1.9% increase to a 0.4% decrease per year. An emerging HIV epidemic, concentrated in young, male, injection drug users, is responsible for increased TB reporting rates in urban Vietnam.     

Counseling about contraception among repeated aborters in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

We conducted qualitative interviews with 30 repeated abortion clients in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Only 5 women were practicing contraception regularly. A common reason for the nonusage of contraceptives was adverse health effects. Half of women were not counseled during the previous abortions, and contraceptives were given without explanation. Women pointed out that the current service was not enough or in-depth and was not meeting their needs. The type of counseling they wanted was a face-to-face discussion with a physician at a hospital using leaflets and pictures. Concerted efforts are needed to improve the quality of contraceptive counseling and to listen to women's voices.     

The dynamics of GII.4 Norovirus in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam

Norovirus (NoV) is a major cause of epidemic gastroenteritis in industrialized countries, yet the epidemiological significance of NoV in industrializing countries remains poorly understood. The spatiotemporal distribution of NoV genotypes identified in 2054 enrolled children was investigated between May 2009 and December 2010, in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. A total of 315 NoV extracted from stool samples were genotyped and GPS mapped to their source. Genogroup II NoV, particularly GII.4, were predominant, and the GII.4 strains could be subgrouped into GII.4-2006b (Minerva) and GII.4-2010 (New Orleans) variants. There was no spatiotemporal structure among the endemic GII strains; yet a significant spatiotemporal signal corresponding with the novel introduction of GII.4-2010 variant was detected. These data show that NoV GII.4 variants are highly endemic in HCMC and describe a scenario of rapid NoV strain replacement occurring in HCMC in early 2010.     

Spatiotemporal Trend Analysis of Precipitation Extremes in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam During 1980-2017

In this study,the spatiotemporal variability of trends in extreme precipitation events in Ho Chi Minh City during the period 1980-2017 was analyzed based on sev...     

对胡志明市和越南南部地区结核病的认识

Objective To assess the effectiveness of a public education campaign for tuberculosis awareness raising in the general community, in respect of case detection rates and public awareness of the disease. To explore possible interventions in other countries in the region.     

Air pollution forecast for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2015 and 2020

Air pollution has deteriorated considerably the health of millions of people in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) due to high levels of emissions which caused more than 90% of children under the age of 5 years old to suffer from different respiratory illnesses in the city. The objectives of this research are to study the formation of the pollution plume over the city during a 3-day episode in February 2006 and to study two abatement strategies of air pollution for HCMC. The meteorology in HCMC is influenced by local phenomena and global phenomenon which create convergence fronts over and cause the formation of the plume of pollutants over the city. The plume of Ozone (O₃) is developed in the north-western part of the city. The models successfully simulated these phenomena and their results are in good agreement with measurements. Two abatement strategies are studied in this work to help the local government who will make decisions for managing air quality in HCMC. For making a better-informed decision, the probabilistic estimate for the photochemical model is carried out in this research. The Monte Carlo method that is applied in this research for the uncertainty analyses is an efficient method of producing a probabilistic output from the photochemical model. The results of these two abatement strategies showed that if the local government follows the emission control plan: (1) for 2015, the O₃ concentration in 2015 will be similar to the present O₃ concentration. (2) For 2020, the O₃ concentration in 2020 will decrease of around 10–30% of O₃ in comparison to the actual level.     

Vaccination against leprosy at Ben San Leprosy Centre, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Three vaccines, BCG alone, BCG + 10(7) killed Mycobacterium vaccae and 10(8) killed M. vaccae alone, were studied in children living in close contact with leprosy. In the year before vaccination, 14/446 (3.1%) children had developed leprosy. Among those who were not vaccinated, 9/74 (12.2%) developed the disease in the first 4 years of the study and 5/65 (7.7%) developed the disease in the second 4 years. In comparison with this, among those vaccinated, 20/343 (5.8%) developed leprosy in the first 4 years and 5/323 (1.5%) developed leprosy in the second 4 years. This represents 52.5% protection in the first 4 years and 80.5% in the second 4 years. There were no significant differences in protection afforded by each of the three vaccines but the success of the killed preparation of M. vaccae is an important finding.     

Obesity in adults: an emerging problem in urban areas of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of overweight, obesity and underweight among Vietnamese adults living in urban areas of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. DESIGN: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in the local health stations of 30 randomly selected wards, which represent all 13 urban districts of HCMC, over a period of 2 months from March to April 2004. SUBJECTS: A total of 1488 participants aged 20-60 years completed the interview, physical examination and venous blood collection. MEASUREMENTS: Anthropometric measurements of body weight, height, waist and hip circumference were taken to construct indicators of adiposity including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and waist-to-height and waist-to-hip ratios. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and biochemical indicators of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes risk (lipid profile and fasting blood glucose) were also measured. RESULTS: The age and sex standardized prevalence of overweight and obesity using Asian specific BMI cutoffs of 23.0 and 27.5 kg/m2 was 26.2 and 6.4%, respectively. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was slightly higher in females (33.6%) than males (31.6%), and progressively increased with age. The age and sex-standardized prevalence of underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m2) among Vietnamese adults living in HCMC was 20.4%. The prevalence was slightly higher in males (22.0%) than in females (18.9%), and there was a much higher prevalence in all underweight categories in younger women than in men but this was reversed for older men. CONCLUSION: The adult population in HCMC Vietnam is in an early 'nutrition transition' with approximately equal prevalence of low and high BMI. The prevalence of overweight and obesity of Vietnamese urban adults was lower than that reported for other east and southeast Asian countries.     

Promoting self-help activities for people living with HIV / AIDS in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam

The rising epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Ho Chi Minh City presents new challenges for sexually transmitted disease/HIV prevention in Vietnam. Most HIV/AIDS cases are found south of the country and this puts a burden on the Ho Chi Minh City AIDS Committee. Building on experiences from other countries, the AIDS Committee successfully implemented measures such as needle-exchange programs, condom distribution, peer education, and outreach activities. It also established a meeting place, the Cafe Hy Vong, for female sex workers and intravenous drug users. From the beginning, the Committee regarded meeting the special needs of people living with HIV/AIDS (PHA) as important prevention activities, and encouraged PHA to discuss their concerns with the committee. The PHA formed the Friend-to-Friend group in October 1995, where the Ho Chi Minh AIDS Committee gave its full support. The group organizes meetings and social gatherings where they can share their feelings and experiences, as well as get information and counseling.     

Utilization of private and public health-care providers for tuberculosis symptoms in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

In Vietnam, as in many other countries, tuberculosis (TB) control has long been organized exclusively within the public health-care system. However, recently the private health-care sector has become more important and private health-care providers currently have a role in TB care delivery in Vietnam. Through a retrospective survey of patients at District Tuberculosis Units (DTUs) of the National Tuberculosis Programme in Ho Chi Minh City, we investigated utilization of private and public health-care providers among people with symptoms of TB. Eight hundred and one patients in eight DTUs were interviewed. For the current illness episode, about half of the patients had initially opted for a private health-care provider. Twenty-seven percent had been to a private physician and 31% to a private pharmacy at some time during their current illness. We found no significant association between socioeconomic status and use of private health-care providers. Utilization of private health-care providers among people with TB or symptoms of TB in Ho Chi Minh City seems to be similar to the general utilization of private providers in Vietnam, at least before TB is diagnosed. Since a large proportion of people with TB in Ho Chi Minh City across all economic and social strata consult private providers at some time during their illness, planners of TB control strategies need to consider both the health-care seeking behaviour of people with TB and the clinical behaviour of private providers, in order to secure early detection of TB, early initiation of appropriate treatment, and maintenance of appropriate treatment.     

Seasonal Change in the Atmospheric Concentration of Particulate Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

We analyzed atmospheric particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for 19 months. The average concentrations of total PAHs at dry and rainy seasons were 4.28 ± 2.83 and 15.71 ± 8.21 ng m⁻³, respectively. The use of motorcycles without catalytic converters, estimated to be main emission sources of PAHs, would be higher during the dry season. PAH concentrations show a negative correlation with sunshine duration (r = −0.51). Furthermore, the ratio of average PAH concentration in the dry season to that in the rainy season shows a positive correlation with photolytic half-life (r = 0.94). Thus, seasonal changes in PAH concentrations are attributable to their photolytic degradation.     

School meal program in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam: reality and future plan

The socio-economic status in Vietnam has developed during the past decades. People become busier for work, and thus they do not have enough time to prepare meal for their children. The school meal program, organized by Department of Education, was first implemented at a kindergarten in 1977, which has been extended to elementary school since 1980. Up to date, 100% of kindergarten and approximately 90% of elementary schools have school meal programs. The purposes of this program are to provide appropriate meals for students, and to serve as education and communication tool for students. About 90% of school meals are prepared in the school's kitchen and the rest are provided by food companies. The weekly menu provides approximately 30% of recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for students. To date, there has been is no official dietitian training school in Vietnam. The head of school kitchen, who is not dietitian, is required to participate in a short-term training course, where s/he learns basic nutrition, nutrition requirements and food hygiene and safety. The food companies, which provide meals to school, must be approved for the hygiene and safety condition by the Human Health Services Department of Ho Chi Minh City. In the next plan of national nutrition strategy, establishing dietitian training schools will be prioritized. In addition, the regular nutritional surveillance for school-aged students will be introduced in school system thus we can develop and evaluate the school meal program in terms of nutrients, food safety and nutrition education.     

Risk of hepatitis C related to traditional medicine: a case control study in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

BACKGROUND: The transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is strongly associated with blood transfusion and drug abuse. However, in about a third of HCV-infected subjects, the risk factors are not clearly identified though some cases are likely to be healthcare associated. In an Asian country such as Vietnam, invasive procedures used for traditional and beauty care could be potential risk factors. The aim of the present study was to identify the risk factors of HCV infection in a population sample in Ho Chi Minh City. METHOD: A case-control study matched by gender and age was performed among blood adults donors at the Centre of hematological diseases and blood transfusion. Cases were defined as blood donors with HCV-positive Elisa. Controls were selected at random among ELISA HCV-negative donors. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect data focusing on invasive medical procedures, beauty care and on invasive procedures related to traditional medicine. RESULT: Among the 80 cases and 240 controls, the independent predictors of anti-HCV positivity using a stepwise logistic regression were: blood transfusion, intravenous drug abuse, acupuncture, ventoused scarification and practice of scarification (adjusted odds ratio and IC95%: 3.8 [1.1-13.1], 3.5 [1.7-7.3], 5.4 [2.3-12.7], 5.4 [2.5-11.7], 6.6 [1.6-26.4] respectively). The other risk factors such as past hospitalization surgery, tattooing, being a healthcare worker, or practising tattooing or piercing were not associated with HCV infection. CONCLUSION: To be exposed to ventoused scarifications or acupuncture are risk factors for the transmission of HCV in Vietnam. A wide information campaign on hygiene practices for general population as well as the practitioners is needed to ensure safer health cares in traditional medicine.     

Knowledge of contraceptives and sexually transmitted diseases and contraceptive practices amongst young people in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

In this article, we examine knowledge of contraceptives and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and contraceptive practices amongst young Vietnamese people. We conducted a qualitative study on sexuality and abortion with young people in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Twelve female and 4 male young people were individually interviewed using an in-depth interview technique. We found that condoms and pills were contraceptives known by almost all young people, but their knowledge of condoms and pills was still inadequate. Fears of side effects of taking pills and rumors and beliefs regarding condoms were quite common among young people. The limitations in young people's knowledge of contraceptives and STDs were a reflection of limited sources of their knowledge. Sexual education provided by educational institutions and within families was very basic. It did not provide clear knowledge on the sensitive topics such as contraceptive methods, and other issues related to sexuality for unmarried people. From a gender perspective, there are two points to note here: While sex issues were discussed openly among unmarried men, most unmarried women felt uncomfortable or expressed difficulty when talking about these issues; and the passiveness of unmarried women in making the decision of using condoms as well as contraceptives was marked. Amongst young people, the use of contraceptives was based mainly on ineffective methods including withdrawal and periodic abstinence. Further, young people's understanding of these methods was neither clear nor adequate. For the young people who did not use any contraceptives, sexual relations occurred unexpectedly. We conclude that creating a climate in which sexual issues can be discussed openly is an important step for the improvement of sexual health for young people. This will inevitably improve knowledge and understanding of contraceptives and STDs and may lead to a safer sexual life among this group of young people.