Drinking & driving in Viet Nam: prevalence, knowledge, attitudes, and practices in two provinces.

OBJECTIVE: Viet Nam is experiencing a shift in its burden of disease profile with injuries becoming more prominent. A history of high alcohol involvement in road traffic crashes despite stringent laws led to increased enforcement by police, enhanced public education messaging and targeted social marketing campaigns in Ha Nam and Ninh Binh provinces in Viet Nam. This study aims to illustrate the changes in prevalence (November 2010 to December 2011) and knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) around alcohol use and drink-driving for the year 2011. METHODS: Breath Alcohol Concentration (BrAC) was collected through police enforcement checkpoints in the two provinces. The proportion of drivers with BrAC above the legal limit was plotted over time for both provinces. The trend in prevalence of drink-driving over time was further assessed using Poisson regression models. Prevailing KAPs were determined through surveying randomly selected road users over the age of 17 years at gas stations at quarterly intervals. Cross tabulations of key variables as well Chi-Square statistic were used to assess associations. RESULTS: A total of 8,404 drivers were tested for BrAC levels of which less than 0.25% were female. Of 1,639 drivers displaying BrAC levels in excess of the legal limit, 87.3% were car drivers, 7.9% motorcyclists and 86% were between the ages of 25 and 44 years. KAP surveys captured 1,661 drivers over the study period. The prevalence of self-reported drink-driving increased 6 percentage points among respondents aged 27-36. Between 44% (January 2011) and 49% (December 2011) of respondents indicated awareness of a drinking and driving Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) or BrAC limit and only 25% of all study participants recalled being penalized for a traffic violation - none of which were for drink-driving. CONCLUSION: While there has been some reduction in drink-driving prevalence, inadequate or incorrect knowledge on drink-driving legislation appears to be an impediment to greater gains. Increased attention needs to be paid to enforcement activities and social marketing campaigns need to be part of a multi-faceted programme that also works on improving existing legislation, takes into consideration gender issues, and enhances visible enforcement of the laws.

Drinking and driving in Vietnam: public knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

OBJECTIVE: Injuries are among the 10 leading causes of death for all ages in Vietnam, and road traffic fatalities account for approximately half of those deaths. Despite having what is considered to be one of the most stringent alcohol legislations in the region, alcohol involvement in road traffic crashes remains high. This study aims to illustrate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices around alcohol use and drinking and driving by age and sex in 3 provinces in Vietnam. METHODS: This study was conducted between January and February 2011, surveying randomly selected road users over the age of 17 years at gas stations in 3 provinces: Ha Nam, Ninh Binh, and Bac Giang, Vietnam. Data were collected for one week at each gas station. A knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) survey was administered in 7 time blocks of 90 min throughout the day, from 07:30 am to 9:30 pm. RESULTS: There were a total of 633 respondents almost evenly divided among the 3 provinces. Males accounted for 69.1 percent of respondents; the majority were 36 years of age or younger. Despite the belief that drinking and driving will increase the risk of a crash, a significant proportion of respondents (44.9%) reported drinking and driving; 56.7 percent admitted to drinking and driving within the last month. Drinking and driving was more common among males, with approximately 60.2 percent indicating a history of drinking and driving. This proportion was particularly high among males aged 17 to 26 (71.4%). It was found that preferred alternatives to drinking and driving when available were leaving with a nondrinker (42%), resting until "feeling conscious" (23%), and drinking less (20%). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that, in general, alcohol use and drinking and driving remain a problem in Vietnam, a major concern given that the country is rapidly motorizing and likewise increasing the likelihood of road traffic crashes in the absence of effective interventions. To target drinking and driving in Vietnam we call for a multifaceted approach, including social marketing and public education campaigns, enhanced enforcement, and programs that either limit the number of drinks to drivers or young individuals or those that provide alternatives to drinking and driving.