Patterns and determinants of tobacco purchase behaviors among male cigarette smokers in Vietnam: A latent class analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding smokers' purchasing patterns can aid in customizing tobacco control initiatives aimed at reducing the tobacco smoking prevalence. Therefore, this study identified cigarette purchase behavior among Vietnamese male smokers and associated demographic and consumption factors. METHODS: We analyzed a secondary dataset of male current tobacco smokers (n=3983) who participated in the Vietnam Global Adult Tobacco Survey in 2015. We applied the latent class analysis (LCA) to identify the classes of purchase behavior among cigarette smokers (n=1241). Multinomial logistic regression was performed to identify demographics (education level, ethnicity, partnership status, and household socioeconomic status) and cigarette consumption variables (smoking years and heavy smoking status) related to purchase behavior classes. The results are reported as an adjusted relative risk ratio (ARRR). RESULTS: The LCA identified four cigarette purchase behaviors classes: Class 1 (price-insensitive and purchased international brand: 44.4%), Class 2 (price-sensitive and purchased domestic brand: 27.6%), Class 3 (price-sensitive and purchased cigarettes in a street vendor: 18.6%), and Class 4: price-sensitive and purchased loose/carton cigarette: 9.4%). The poorer economic groups were more likely to belong to the three price-sensitive classes. Heavy smokers and those who had smoked for a longer period were more likely to belong to Class 3 (ARRR=2.33; 95% CI: 1.51-3.58 and ARRR=1.02; 95% CI: 1.001-1.05, respectively) and Class 4 (ARRR=2.94; 95% CI: 1.71-5.06 and ARRR=1.05; 95% CI: 1.02-1.08, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Varied purchasing behaviors among male cigarette smokers, influenced by divergent price sensitivities and economic backgrounds, underscore the need for comprehensive tobacco control. Future efforts should include targeted policy interventions, behavior modification, and reshaping social norms.

Individual-, social- and policy- factors associated with smoking cessation among adult male cigarette smokers in Hanoi, Vietnam: a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Nearly one-in-two Vietnamese men smoke cigarettes placing them among the highest tobacco consumers in the world. Despite the need for smoking cessation to curb the burden of tobacco-related diseases in Vietnam, this rate remains at less than 30%. Therefore, this study examines individual-, social- and policy factors associated with smoking cessation among adult male smokers in Vietnam. METHODS: We established a longitudinal International Tobacco Control study of male smokers in Hanoi, Vietnam, in September 2018. This paper analyses 1525 men who participated in baseline and one-year follow-up. We applied a weighted multivariable logistic regression to examine the association between smoking cessation and individual-, social- and policy predictors. RESULTS: At follow-up, 14.8% of participants had quit smoking for at least 30 consecutive days during the last year. Among the persistent smokers, 56.6% expressed intention to quit smoking. Factors associated with smoking cessation included a lower number of cigarettes smoked per day (aOR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.94, 0.99) and having several attempts to quit smoking (aOR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.13, 4.12). Intention to quit smoking was associated with multiple quit attempts, a chronic condition diagnosis, more tobacco-related knowledge, greater self-efficacy, and more worries about their future health. The perceived impact of smoke-free policy and health warning labels were positively associated with intention to quit at any stage. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions aimed at increasing smoking cessation should focus on all aspects of individual, social, and policy factors. Persistent smokers are more motivated to quit if they have made multiple quit attempts, more self-efficacy of quitting and worried about their future health, indicating that increasing smokers' beliefs and knowledge may be important for behavioural change. Health warning labels and tobacco taxation policies should be maintained and promoted as they are perceived to be particularly useful for persistent smokers' intention to quit.

Smoking Cessation, Quit Attempts and Predictive Factors among Vietnamese Adults in 2020.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the updated smoking cessation and quit attempt rates and associated factors among Vietnamese adults in 2020. METHODS: Data on tobacco use among adults in Vietnam in 2020 was derived from the Provincial Global Adult Tobacco Survey. The participants in the study were people aged 15 and older. A total of 81,600 people were surveyed across 34 provinces and cities. Multi-level logistic regression was used to examine the associations between individual and province-level factors on smoking cessation and quit attempts. RESULTS: The smoking cessation and quit attempt rates varied significantly across the 34 provinces. The average rates of people who quit smoking and attempted to quit were 6.3% and 37.2%, respectively. The factors associated with smoking cessation were sex, age group, region, education level, occupation, marital status, and perception of the harmful effects of smoking. Attempts to quit were significantly associated with sex, education level, marital status, perception of the harmful effects of smoking, and visiting health facilities in the past 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: These results may be useful in formulating future smoking cessation policies and identifying priority target groups for future interventions. However, more longitudinal and follow-up studies are needed to prove a causal relationship between these factors and future smoking cessation behaviors.

Association between perceived harm of tobacco and intention to quit: a cross-sectional analysis of the Vietnam Global Adult Tobacco Survey.

BACKGROUND: Perception of harm plays an important role in predicting intention to quit-an integral part of the cessation process. Perception on harm from bamboo waterpipe tobacco was unknown, even the predominant of this type of tobacco use. This study investigated the effects of perceived harm from cigarette and bamboo waterpipe tobacco on intention to quit among adult male Vietnamese tobacco users. METHODS: From the nationally-representative 2015 Global Adult Tobacco Survey, we included 1,351 adult males (≥ 18 years old) who used cigarettes, bamboo waterpipes, or both. Demographic characteristics, tobacco use behaviors, perceived harm from tobacco use, and regulation/policy exposure were measured. Effects of perceived harm from cigarette and bamboo waterpipe tobacco on intention to quit were assessed by logistic regression. RESULTS: Intention to quit prevalence was 59.0%, 55.0%, and 58.4% for cigarette, waterpipe, and dual users, respectively. Tobacco users who perceived that "using cigarettes and/or waterpipe could cause severe illness" and "waterpipe use is less harmful than cigarette smoking", had tobacco use bans at home, or were exposed to anti-smoking campaigns or encouragement to quit information were more likely to intend to quit. When analyzed by tobacco users, intention to quit was more likely for those users who perceived their tobacco product as more harmful than the other product type, although statistical significance was only observed for cigarette users. CONCLUSIONS: Misperceptions regarding harm from tobacco use could negatively affect intention to quit. Dissemination of accurate information on the risks from all forms of tobacco use and enforcement of tobacco control policies are important for encouraging intention to quit.

Violence and non-fatal injuries among Vietnamese in-school adolescents: national prevalence estimates and associated factors.

School violence and injury are major public health problems worldwide. The data of this study were from the Viet Nam Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) - a nationally representative survey conducted in 2019, with a sample size of 7690 students aged 13-17 years old. We found the prevalence of violence and non-fatal injury to be 14.5% and 21.4%, respectively. Factors related to higher odds of violence and non-fatal injuries in both sexes included smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, having mental health problems (loneliness, worrying and suicidal thinking), and truancy. In contrast, parental monitoring was associated with lower odds of violence, and parental respect was a protective factor of both violence and non-fatal injuries. Students who experienced violence had a higher likelihood of having non-fatal injuries in both sexes. Future policies should consider individual factors and parent-child bonding, to mitigate the burden of violence and injury among in-school adolescents in Viet Nam.

Health Technology Assessment Development in Vietnam: A Qualitative Study of Current Progress, Barriers, Facilitators, and Future Strategies.

INTRODUCTION: To make more efficient use of limited resources, Vietnam incorporated health technology assessment (HTA) into the decision-making process for the health insurance benefit package in 2014. We evaluated progress in HTA institutionalization in Vietnam based on the theoretical framework developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program, identified negative and conducive factors for HTA development, and finally suggested policy recommendations that fit the Vietnamese context. METHODS: Semi-structured in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted between December 2017 and March and April 2018 with a purposive sample of 24 stakeholders involved in decision-making for health insurance reimbursement. We employed thematic analysis to examine themes within the data. RESULTS: Despite a variety of activities (e.g., training and advising/mentoring) and a substantial level of output (e.g., policy statements, focal points assigned, and case studies/demonstration projects), Vietnam has not yet reached the policy decision stage based on HTA with scientific integrity and active stakeholder participation. Most respondents, except some clinicians, supported the use of HTA. The lack of capacity of human resources in the government sector and academia, the limited data infrastructure, the absence of guidelines, the government's interest in immediate budget-saving, and public resistance were identified as barriers to the advancement of HTA. CONCLUSIONS: A structured data repository, guidelines based on the Vietnamese context for both policy decision-making at the central level and daily clinical decision-making at the micro-level, and integration of a participatory process into HTA are suggested as priorities for HTA institutionalization in Vietnam.

Mobility restrictions were associated with reductions in COVID-19 incidence early in the pandemic: evidence from a real-time evaluation in 34 countries.

Most countries have implemented restrictions on mobility to prevent the spread of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), entailing considerable societal costs but, at least initially, based on limited evidence of effectiveness. We asked whether mobility restrictions were associated with changes in the occurrence of COVID-19 in 34 OECD countries plus Singapore and Taiwan. Our data sources were the Google Global Mobility Data Source, which reports different types of mobility, and COVID-19 cases retrieved from the dataset curated by Our World in Data. Beginning at each country's 100th case, and incorporating a 14-day lag to account for the delay between exposure and illness, we examined the association between changes in mobility (with January 3 to February 6, 2020 as baseline) and the ratio of the number of newly confirmed cases on a given day to the total number of cases over the past 14 days from the index day (the potentially infective 'pool' in that population), per million population, using LOESS regression and logit regression. In two-thirds of examined countries, reductions of up to 40% in commuting mobility (to workplaces, transit stations, retailers, and recreation) were associated with decreased cases, especially early in the pandemic. Once both mobility and incidence had been brought down, further restrictions provided little additional benefit. These findings point to the importance of acting early and decisively in a pandemic.

Formation of the upper digestive tract by the ileum - right colon for patient with concurrent cancers of the esophagus and the stomach: A case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: A very rare case with presence of both esophageal and gastric cancers raised questions on how to perform optimal surgery for such cases. To date, reports on experimental surgery strategies for these rare cases remained sparse in the literatures. CASE PRESENTATION: A 61-year-old male patient having epigastric abdominal pain and swallowing difficulties for a month prior to the hospital. Esophagoscopy and gastroscopy results showed a 2-cm lesion in the esophagus, located around 25 cm away from the teeth arch; and a 2-cm ulcer lesion with high ridge line at the corner of the lesser curvature of stomach. Biopsy results revealed esophageal squamous epithelium carcinoma and poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma. The surgery was esophago-gastrectomy with curettage of the lymph nodes and reconstruction of the upper gastrointestinal tract with the ileum - right colon in the left side of the neck. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: We did not remain the stomach and performed thoracoscopic Ivor Lewis esophagectomy with chest anastomosis, as in previous studies to prevent cancer recurrence. Here, we performed a new surgical method of reconstruct the upper gastrointestinal tract by connecting the upper part of the esophagus at the neck, to the ileum - right colon. CONCLUSIONS: This case could suggest an effective surgical strategy that the ileum - right colon was an organ to be used in replacing the upper gastrointestinal tract in cases of removing the entire stomach and thoracic esophagus, which could serve as a valuable reference for similar rare cases in the future.

Patient-Centered Care: Transforming the Health Care System in Vietnam With Support of Digital Health Technology.

BACKGROUND: Over the recent decades, Vietnam has attained remarkable achievements in all areas of health care. However, shortcomings including health disparities persist particularly with a rapidly aging population. This has resulted in a shift in the disease burden from communicable to noncommunicable diseases such as dementia, cancer, and diabetes. These medical conditions require long-term care, which causes an accelerating crisis for the health sector and society. The current health care system in Vietnam is unlikely to cope with these challenges. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to explore the opportunities, challenges, and necessary conditions for Vietnam in transforming toward a patient-centered care model to produce better health for people and reduce health care costs. METHODS: We examine the applicability of a personalized and integrated Bespoke Health Care System (BHS) for Vietnam using a strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat analysis and examining the successes or failures of digital health care innovations in Vietnam. We then make suggestions for successful adoption of the BHS model in Vietnam. RESULTS: The BHS model of patient-centered care empowers patients to become active participants in their own health care. Vietnam's current policy, social, technological, and economic environment favors the transition of its health care system toward the BHS model. Nevertheless, the country is in an early stage of health care digitalization. The legal and regulatory system to protect patient privacy and information security is still lacking. The readiness to implement electronic medical records, a core element of the BHS, varies across health providers and clinical practices. The scarcity of empirical evidence and evaluation regarding the effectiveness and sustainability of digital health initiatives is an obstacle to the Vietnamese government in policymaking, development, and implementation of health care digitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing a personalized and integrated health care system may help Vietnam to address health care needs, reduce pressure on the health care system and society, improve health care delivery, and promote health equity. However, in order to adopt the patient-centered care system and digitalized health care, a whole-system approach in transformation and operation with a co-design in the whole span of a digital health initiative developing process are necessary.

How well does societal mobility restriction help control the COVID-19 pandemic? Evidence from real-time evaluation

ObjectivesTo determine the impact of restrictions on mobility on reducing transmission of COVID-19. DesignDaily incidence rates lagged by 14 days were regressed on mobility changes using LOESS regression and logit regression between the day of the 100th case in each country to August 31, 2020. Setting34 OECD countries plus Singapore and Taiwan. ParticipantsGoogle mobility data were obtained from people who turned on mobile device-based global positioning system (GPS) and agreed to share their anonymized position information with Google. InterventionsWe examined the association of COVID-19 incidence rates with mobility changes, defined as changes in categories of domestic location, against a pre-pandemic baseline, using country-specific daily incidence data on newly confirmed COVID-19 cases and mobility data. ResultsIn two thirds of examined countries, reductions of up to 40% in commuting mobility (to workplaces, transit stations, retailers, and recreation) were associated with decreased COVID-19 incidence, more so early in the pandemic. However, these decreases plateaued as mobility remained low or decreased further. We found smaller or negligible associations between mobility restriction and incidence rates in the late phase in most countries. ConclusionMild to moderate degrees of mobility restriction in most countries were associated with reduced incidence rates of COVID-19 that appear to attenuate over time, while some countries exhibited no effect of such restrictions. More detailed research is needed to precisely understand the benefits and limitations of mobility restrictions as part of the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPICSince SARS-CoV-2 became a pandemic, restrictions on mobility such as limitations on travel and closure of offices, restaurants, and shops have been imposed in an unprecedented way in both scale and scope to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the absence of effective treatment options or a vaccine. Although mobility restriction has also brought about tremendous costs such as negative economic growth and other collateral impacts on health such as increased morbidity and mortality from lack of access to other essential health services, little evidence exists on the effectiveness of mobility restriction for the prevention of disease transmission. A search of PUBMED and Google Scholar for publications on this topic through Sep 20, 2020 revealed that most of the evidence on the effectiveness of physical distancing comes from mathematical modeling studies using a variety of assumptions. One study investigated only the combined effect of several interventions, including physical distancing, among SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDSThis is the first study to investigate the association between change in mobility and incidence of COVID-19 globally using real-time measures of mobility at the population level. For this, we used Google Global Mobility data and the daily incidence of COVID-19 for 36 countries from the day of 100th case detection through August 31, 2020. Our findings from LOESS regression show that in two-thirds of countries, reductions of up to 40% in commuting mobility were associated with decreased COVID-19 incidence, more so early in the pandemic. This decrease, however, plateaued as mobility decreased further. We found that associations between mobility restriction and incidence became smaller or negligible in the late phase of the pandemic in most countries. The reduced incidence rate of COVID-19 cases with a mild to moderate degree of mobility restriction in most countries suggests some value to limited mobility restriction in early phases of epidemic mitigation. The lack of impact in some others, however, suggests further research is needed to confirm these findings and determine the distinguishing factors for when mobility restrictions are helpful in decreasing viral transmission. Governments should carefully consider the level and period of mobility restriction necessary to achieve the desired benefits and minimize harm.

Rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Vietnam government's experience and preliminary success.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has hit all corners of the world, challenging governments to act promptly in controlling the spread of the pandemic. Due to limited resources and inferior technological capacities, developing countries including Vietnam have faced many challenges in combating the pandemic. Since the first cases were detected on 23 January 2020, Vietnam has undergone a 3-month fierce battle to control the outbreak with stringent measures from the government to mitigate the adverse impacts. In this study, we aim to give insights into the Vietnamese government's progress during the first three months of the outbreak. Additionally, we relatively compare Vietnam's response with that of other Southeast Asia countries to deliver a clear and comprehensive view on disease control strategies. METHODS: The data on the number of COVID-19 confirmed and recovered cases in Vietnam was obtained from the Dashboard for COVID-19 statistics of the Ministry of Health (https://ncov.vncdc.gov.vn/). The review on Vietnam's country-level responses was conducted by searching for relevant government documents issued on the online database 'Vietnam Laws Repository' (https://thuvienphapluat.vn/en/index.aspx), with the grey literature on Google and relevant official websites. A stringency index of government policies and the countries' respective numbers of confirmed cases of nine Southeast Asian countries were adapted from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/research/research-projects/coronavirus-government-response-tracker). All data was updated as of 24 April 2020. RESULTS: Preliminary positive results have been achieved given that the nation confirmed no new community-transmitted cases since 16 April and zero COVID-19 - related deaths throughout the 3-month pandemic period. To date, the pandemic has been successfully controlled thanks to the Vietnamese government's prompt, proactive and decisive responses including mobilization of the health care systems, security forces, economic policies, along with a creative and effective communication campaign corresponding with crucial milestones of the epidemic's progression. CONCLUSIONS: Vietnam could be one of the role models in pandemic control for low-resource settings. As the pandemic is still ongoing in an unpredictable trajectory, disease control measures should continue to be put in place in the foreseeable short term.

Tobacco and Alcohol Use Among Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam.

This study investigates the prevalence of tobacco and alcohol uses and associated factors among 12 ethnic minorities in Vietnam in 2019. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 5172 people aged ≥15 years. The prevalence of smoking and drinking was 19.7% and 29.9%, respectively, and significantly higher among men than women. These numbers were heterogeneous across ethnic minorities. Smoking prevalence was high among Ba Na (25.9%), Cham An Giang (22.3%), Khmer (23.5%), La Hu (26.3%), Ta Oi (30.7%), and Bru Van Kieu (29.6%) ethnicities whereas that of Gie Trieng and Mnong ethnicities was low (3.7% and 9.5%, respectively). Drinking prevalence ranged from 1.4% in Cham An Giang ethnicity to 68.6% in Ba Na ethnicity. A wide ethnic disparity on tobacco and alcohol use could be explained by the ethnic variation of lifestyles, social norms, and cultural features. Our findings suggest the need to develop ethnic-specific interventions to mitigate the smoking and drinking prevalence.

Describing the pattern of the COVID-19 epidemic in Vietnam.

Given the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the huge negative impacts it is causing, researching on COVID-19-related issues is very important for designing proactive and comprehensive public health interventions to fight against the pandemic. We describe the characteristics of COVID-19 patients detected in the two phases of the epidemic in Vietnam. Data used in this paper were mainly obtained from the official database of the Ministry of Health of Vietnam. Descriptive statistics were carried out using Stata 16 software. As of 18 May 2020, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases detected in Vietnam was 324, 16 cases from 4 cities and provinces in the first phase (during 20 days, 0.8 cases detected per day) and 308 cases from 35 cities, provinces in the second phase (during 76 days, 4.1 cases detected per day). Vietnam has mobilized its entire political system to fight the COVID-19 and achieved some initial successes. We found both similarities and differences between the two phases of the COVID-19 epidemic in Vietnam. We demonstrated that the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic in Vietnam is getting more complicated and unpredictable.

Adverse influence of multilevel socioeconomic status on physical activity: results from a national survey in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to explore associations of individual- and provincial-level socioeconomic status (SES) and the combined interaction among these SES with individual physical activity (PA). METHOD: This analyze used data of 3068 Vietnamese people aged 18-65 years from the national representative STEPS survey in 2015 (STEPS2015). The survey collected PA-related data using the Global PA Questionnaire Version 2 and those on provicial-level characteristics from two surveys in 2014, namely the Intercensal Population and Housing Survey (IPHS) and The Vietnam Household Living Standard Survey (VLSS2014). Multilevel linear analyze was performed with individual and provincial characteristics as independent variables and the metabolic equivalent (MET) score - the indicator of individual PA - as the dependent variable. RESULTS: Male and female participants with insufficient PA accounted for 20.2 and 35.7%, respectively. Both individual- and provicial-level SES were inversely associated with the individual PA level. As the provincial-level monthly income increased by 1 million Vietnam Dongs, the total PA score of individuals residing in that province reduced by 1900 METS. A buffering effect was reported between provincial and individual SES, as the provincial average income increased, the differences in PA scores between different SES groups decreased. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that Vietnamese individuals in low SES groups tended to be more physically active than those in high SES groups because their PA was largely related to work.

Maternal, neonatal, and child health systems under rapid urbanization: a qualitative study in a suburban district in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Vietnam has been successful in increasing access to maternal, neonatal, and child health (MNCH) services during last decades; however, little is known about whether the primary MNCH service utilization has been properly utilized under the recent rapid urbanization. We aimed to examine current MNCH service utilization patterns at a district level. METHODS: The study was conducted qualitatively in a rural district named Quoc Oai. Women who gave a birth within a year and medical staff at various levels participated through 43 individual in-depth interviews and 3 focus group interviews. RESULTS: Primary MNCH services were underutilized due to a failure to meet increased quality needs. Most of the mothers preferred private clinics for antenatal care and the district hospital for delivery due to the better service quality of these facilities compared to that of the commune health stations (CHSs). Mothers had few sociocultural barriers to acquiring service information or utilizing services based on their improved standard of living. A financial burden for some services, including caesarian section, still existed for uninsured mothers, while their insured counterparts had relatively few difficulties. CONCLUSIONS: For the improved macro-efficiency of MNCH systems, the government needs to rearrange human resources and/or merge some CHSs to achieve economies of scale and align with service volume distribution across the different levels.

Treatment for COVID-19 patients in Vietnam: Analysis of time-to-recovery

To describe the recovery time and related factors among COVID-19 patients in Vietnam. Methods: We used the secondary data obtained from the official database of the Ministry of Health of Vietnam and other public data sources that were available by April 9th, 2020. Cox proportional hazards model was carried out to identify factors related to recovery time among COVID-19 patients. Results: By April 9th, 2020, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases detected in Vietnam was 255, of which 129 (50.6%) patients had fully recovered. The median recovery time of patients was 17 (95% CI=16-19) days. Older patients had a lower likelihood of recovery (HR=0.98, 95% CI=0.97-0.99, P0.001), whereas patients with a history of international incoming travel had a higher likelihood of recovery (HR=1.57, 95% CI=1.03-2.40, P=0.036). There was no statistically significant difference in the recovery time of patients treated in different hospital settings. Conclusions: More attention is needed for older patients and who did not have international travel history. Patients confirmed with COVID-19 could be treated at local health facilities to avoid unnecessary referrals and burdens to specialized hospitals at the central level.

Patterns of Raised Blood Pressure in Vietnam: Findings from the WHO STEPS Survey 2015.

This study aims to describe the prevalence of raised blood pressure and the situation of management for raised blood pressure among the adult population in Vietnam. It also aims to examine the association between diversified socioeconomic and behavioral factors of raised blood pressure and awareness of raised blood pressure. Data were obtained from the STEPS survey conducted in Vietnam in 2015. Survey sample was nationally representative with a total of 3,856 people aged 18-69 years old. The study outcomes included raised blood pressure and awareness of and control of raised blood pressure. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association of socioeconomic and behavior risk factors with the outcome variables. The overall prevalence of raised blood pressure in Vietnam in 2015 was 18.9% (95% CI: 17.4%-20.6%). The prevalence of raised blood pressure was higher among men. Significantly correlated factors with raised blood pressure were age, sex, body mass index, and diabetes status. Levels of awareness of raised blood pressure were higher among the older age group and overweight people and lower among ethnic minority groups. Raised blood pressure in Vietnam is a serious problem due to its magnitude and the unacceptably high unawareness rate in the population. Public health actions dealing with the problems of raised blood pressure are urgent, while taking into account its relationship with sex and socioeconomic status. It is clear that the interventions should address all people in society, with a focus on disadvantaged groups which are the rural and ethnic minority peoples.

Is evidence-informed urban health planning a myth or reality? Lessons from a qualitative assessment in three Asian cities.

City governments are well-positioned to effectively address urban health challenges in the context of rapid urbanization in Asia. They require good quality and timely evidence to inform their planning decisions. In this article, we report our analyses of degree of data-informed urban health planning from three Asian cities: Dhaka, Hanoi and Pokhara. Our theoretical framework stems from conceptualizations of evidence-informed policymaking, health planning and policy analysis, and includes: (1) key actors, (2) approaches to developing and implementing urban health plans, (3) characteristics of the data itself. We collected qualitative data between August 2017 and October 2018 using: in-depth interviews with key actors, document review and observations of planning events. Framework approach guided the data analysis. Health is one of competing priorities with multiple plans being produced within each city, using combinations of top-down, bottom-up and fragmented planning approaches. Mostly data from government information systems are used, which were perceived as good quality though often omits the urban poor and migrants. Key common influences on data use include constrained resources and limitations of current planning approaches, alongside data duplication and limited co-ordination within Dhaka's pluralistic system, limited opportunities for data use in Hanoi and inadequate and incomplete data in Pokhara. City governments have the potential to act as a hub for multi-sectoral planning. Our results highlight the tensions this brings, with health receiving less attention than other sector priorities. A key emerging issue is that data on the most marginalized urban poor and migrants are largely unavailable. Feasible improvements to evidence-informed urban health planning include increasing availability and quality of data particularly on the urban poor, aligning different planning processes, introducing clearer mechanisms for data use, working within the current systemic opportunities and enhancing participation of local communities in urban health planning.