Social and Economic Impacts of COVID-19 Among Health Professionals in Vietnam: Status and Associations with Quality of Life and Sleep Quality.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the way of life of many individuals, especially those working at the frontlines, such as healthcare workers. Our study aims to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the socio-economic status, quality of life, and sleep quality when Vietnam was experiencing the 4th wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 604 healthcare workers using snowball sampling from October through to November 2021. Our study examined the impact of the government's COVID-19 prevention policy including personal protective measures (5K measures), directive 15, directive 16, and directive 16 plus. The EQ-5D-5L and EQ-VAS were used to measure health-related quality of life and a scale of 1 to 10 was used to rate sleep quality of healthcare workers. RESULTS: A total of 604 respondents, most people were female (57.9%), and working as civil servants (75.3%). Very few participants were able to increase their earnings during the pandemic. Participants who did not have monthly allowance amounts had the highest proportion (60.1%), followed by those under 2 million VND (21.2%). In the univariate regression model, people with high government policy scores tend to have lower quality of life and sleep quality scores. In addition, in the multivariable regression model, people with high scores on government policies tend to have lower quality of life (EQ-5D) scores. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 prevention measures had a negative impact on quality of life, sleep quality, and daily demands of healthcare workers. These findings should help guide future policy implementations.

Changes in Quality of life Outcomes of Patients with HIV/AIDS Under a Theory-based Mobile Health Intervention.

This study examined the effectiveness of a theory-based mHealth intervention on the quality of life (QOL) of people living with HIV. A randomized controlled trial was performed at two outpatient clinics in Hanoi, Vietnam. There were 428 patients with HIV/AIDs in selected clinics and were divided into the intervention arm (receiving HIV-assisted smartphone application and usual care) and the control arm (receiving only usual care). The WHOQOLHIV-BREF instrument was utilized to measure QOL. An intention-to-treat approach using Generalized Linear Mixed Model analysis was performed. The trial showed significant improvements in Physical health, Psychological health, and Level of Dependence among patients in the intervention arm compared to the control arm. However, the Environment and Spirituality/Personal beliefs improvements would require additional interventions, both individual, organizational, or governmental. This study explored the utility of a smartphone mobile application for individuals with HIV, and how the resultant application could improve the overall QOL.

A reverse pattern in work motivation among Vietnamese health care workers during the prolonged COVID-19 outbreak of 2021: Determinants and implications.

Background: The workload burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on health systems requires not only financial support but also long-term and contextualized policies. We assessed the work motivation and its determinants among health workers at Vietnamese hospitals and facilities during the prolonged COVID-19 outbreaks in 2021. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2814 health care professionals across all three regions of Vietnam from October to November 2021. An online questionnaire, including the Work Motivation Scale, distributed by the snowball method to a subgroup of 939 respondents, investigated changes in working characteristics due to COVID-19, work motivation, and occupational intention. Results: Only 37.2% of respondents committed to their current job and about 40% reported a decrease in their job satisfaction. The Work Motivation Scale scored the lowest in "financial motivation" and the highest in "perception of work value". Participants who were in the north region, of younger age, unmarried, and who had a low level of adaptability to external work pressure, shorter experience, and less job satisfaction tended to be less motivated and committed to their current job. Conclusions: Intrinsic motivation has increased in importance during the pandemic. Therefore, policymakers should develop interventions that raise intrinsic, psychological motivation instead of only focusing on salary raises. Issues about intrinsic motivations of health care workers such as low adaptability to stress and professionalism in routine work should be prioritized during the pandemic preparedness and control.

Depressive symptoms are associated with immunological failure among HIV-positive patients in Vietnam.

As the lives of people living with HIV (PLWH) become increasingly normalized, more focus is being given to the associated comorbidities of HIV, including those related to mental health such as depression. This study aims to evaluate the correlation between depressive symptoms and HIV outcomes in Vietnam through the measurement of CD4 cell count. A mixed design was utilized, in which both a longitudinal assessment of CD4 cell counts and a cross-sectional survey of depressive symptoms were conducted on 481 patients in the Bach Mai and Ha Dong HIV clinics (Hanoi, Vietnam). CD4 cell count data was extracted from the medical records of participants, and depressive symptoms were screened using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The results illustrate that the presence of moderately severe to severe depressive symptoms is associated with lower CD4 cell counts, indicating poorer HIV outcomes resulting from comorbid depression. This correlation was especially noticeable in the PHQ-9 items for psychomotor agitation/retardation (p < 0.05) and suicidal ideation (p < 0.05). Future policy and treatment options for HIV in Vietnam should consider the presence of comorbid mental health conditions in order to provide more suitable and effective treatment in the goal of providing a higher quality of life for PLWH.

Intimate partner violence during pregnancy in Vietnam: role of husbands.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators are often husbands. Understanding factors pertaining to women's male partners is essential for programming interventions against IPV. The objective of the study was to describe husband-related social and behavioural risk factors and assess how they are associated with IPV during pregnancy. Cross-sectional data were collected among 1309 pregnant women with husbands in Dong Anh district, Vietnam. Information on sociodemographic characteristics of husbands, the husband's behaviour and the husband's involvement in pregnancy care was indirectly collected via women's report at first antenatal care visit. Data on exposure to intimate partner violence during pregnancy were collected when the women returned for antenatal care in 30-34 gestational weeks. Logistic regression analyses were used to measure the relationships between IPV during pregnancy and risk factors from the husband. Pregnant women who had husbands who were younger or blue-collar worker/farmer/unemployed had more likelihood to be exposed to IPV. Women with husbands who drank alcohol before sexual intercourse and gambled were more likely to be exposed to IPV repeated times. Those with husbands who had intentions of having a child had over three times increased OR to be exposed to IPV once (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI 1.1-9.7). If the husband had a preference for sons, the woman had 1.5 times increased OR (AOR = 1.5; 95% CI 1.1-1.9) to be exposed to IPV repeated times during pregnancy. This study highlights significant associations between IPV and maternal perceptions of husbands' behaviours and involvement in pregnancy. Findings may help to identify at-risk pregnant women to IPV and guide the development of targeted interventions to prevent IPV from husbands.

Antenatal depressive symptoms and adverse birth outcomes in Hanoi, Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Antenatal depression is a significant health problem in low and middle- income countries. Although the condition is associated with severe adverse consequences for the mother and newborn, it remains a neglected problem. The purpose of this study was to describe the association between antenatal depressive symptoms and preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), and small for gestation age (SGA). METHODS: The study was conducted in Dong Anh District, Hanoi, Vietnam, among pregnant women of less than 24 weeks of gestation. Information on socioeconomic characteristics and reproductive history was collected at enrollment and ADS and experiences of intimate partner violence were assessed at week 32. Birth outcomes were determined at delivery. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were applied to assess the associations between ADS and PTB, LBW, and SGA. RESULTS: ADS was significantly associated with an increased risk of PTB (crude OR = 2.4; 95%; CI: 1.01-5.4 and adjusted OR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.1-5.2, respectively) and a significantly increased risk for giving birth to an LBW infant (crude OR = 3.1; 95% CI: 1.4-7.0 and adjusted OR = 3.5; 95% CI: 1.6-7.6, respectively). In contrast, ADS was not statistically associated with small for gestation age. CONCLUSION: ADS is associated with an increased risk of PTB and LBW but not associated with SGA.