Factors correlated with neuropathic pain among industrial workers in Vietnam: a multi-site cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Neuropathic pain is a debilitating condition resulting from various etiologies such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and infection, and is associated with decreased quality of life, poor health outcomes, and increased economic burden. However, epidemiological studies on neuropathic pain have been largely limited in Vietnam. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on adult Vietnamese industrial workers across three manufacturing plants. Demographic, socioeconomic, occupational and health data were collected. Prevalence of neuropathic pain was assessed using the Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4) scale. Regression modeling was utilized to identify predictors of pain. Results: Among 276 workers, 43.1 and 24.3% reported that they had suffered from spinal pain and osteoarthritis pain, respectively. In terms of work conditions, people maintaining constant posture when working from 30 to 60 min (OR = 3.15, 95% CI = 1.07; 9.29), or over 60 min (OR = 2.59; 95% CI = 1.12; 5.98) had a higher risk of suffering from spinal pain. People who worked in conditions lacking adequate lighting and with exposures to toxic chemicals were also likely to be suffering from osteoarthritis pain with OR = 4.26, 95% CI = 1.02; 17.74 and Coef. = 1.93; 95% CI = 1.49; 2.50, respectively. Regular health examinations and higher expenditure for healthcare were correlated with a lower prevalence of neuropathic pain. Discussion: These results may inform the adoption of pain screening and other programs that increase health care access for this population, as well as more stringent occupational health and safety standards.

Psychological impacts of COVID-19 on Vietnamese health workers over the prolonged restricted COVID-19 responses: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the psychological impact posed by COVID-19 and its associated factors on the healthcare workforce nationwide during the peak of Vietnam's fourth outbreak. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Our study was conducted in 61 provinces of Vietnam. METHODS: A total of 2814 healthcare professionals in 61/63 provinces of Vietnam. An online questionnaire using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scales was distributed randomly to a subgroup of 503 respondents. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: To determine the impact of COVID-19 on the psychological of health workers, we conducted analyses to test a primary hypothesis related to participants based on three main scales including PHQ-9, PSS-4 and GAD-7 scales. RESULTS: Nearly half (49.7%) of healthcare workers experienced mild depression symptoms, 34.0% underwent moderate anxiety symptoms and 49.3% reported high-stress levels. Respondents who had a monthly income below 5 million VND (~US$212) and had more than 3 days of duty per week had a higher score on the anxiety scales. Compared with medical doctors, nurses/midwives had lower PHQ-9 (Coef=-2.53; 95% CI=-3.71 to -1.36) and GAD-7 scores (Coef=-2.36; 95% CI=-3.56 L to -1.16). Increased workload and work time was the harmful factor that increase the PHQ-9, GAD-7 or PSS-4 scores. More than half (53.9%) of respondents stated no demand for mental healthcare services. CONCLUSIONS: Health workers who gained less financial rewards are reported to have higher levels of mental distress than others, implying the need for a raise in basic salary as well as compensation and encouragement schemes. To tackle hesitancy in seeking mental help, integrating online mental health therapy with e-health consultations via social media can be strategically implemented to augment service delivery, and simultaneously enhance the standard of mental health services.

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.

A longitudinal assessment of appetite loss and nutritional care among postoperative patients in Vietnam.

Background: Post-operative appetite loss is an important complication affecting surgical outcomes. It has been estimated that nearly 60% of patients having gastrointestinal or major elective surgeries suffer from malnutrition. Appetite refers to the physical desire for food appetite, and losing appetite after surgery may result in a decrease in body weight, impairment of intestinal absorption and eventually, malnutrition among postoperative patients. This study aims to assess appetite status and other relevant factors among abdominal postoperative patients in Vietnam. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 169 abdominal postoperative patients from June 1st to August 30th, 2016 at Hanoi Medical University Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam. Appetite score was computed by using the Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire (CNAQ). This study used GEE to account for the potential correlation of outcomes of the longitudinal assessment, assuming an independent correlation structure. Results: The primary and secondary outcome measures: highest average appetite score was recorded in the preoperative day and the score declined throughout seven-day duration. Patients who were female, under general anesthetics and being under open surgery tended to get lower appetite scores. The majority of patients had moderate to good appetite in both the preoperative day and seven days post-operation. Conclusion: Women should receive more care and help in regaining their appetite after surgery. Treatment for appetite loss through non-pharmaceutical measures should be prioritized. Interventions that increase the appetite of patients after abdominal surgery should be targeted on patients being under general anesthetic as well as open surgery and be undertaken with caution.

Severity and geographical disparities of post-COVID-19 symptoms among the Vietnamese general population: a national evaluation.

Post-COVID-19 symptoms have become a significant global health concern. This study focused on assessing the prevalence, severity, and care preference of post-COVID-19 symptoms, as well as identifying determinants to inform evidence-based policy on post-COVID-19 in Vietnam. A national cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2022 among 12,361 recovered COVID-19 patients, providing the largest dataset on health status after COVID-19 in Vietnam. The study utilized ordered logistic, Poisson regression, Multilevel linear random-effects models, and Multilevel random effects ordered logistic model to identify factors associated with various aspects of post-COVID-19 conditions. Results showed that the average number of post-COVID-19 symptoms was approximately 3, with fatigue and headache being the most common symptoms. The number of post-COVID-19 symptoms varied by province, decreased with age, and was significantly correlated with the duration of infection. Age, infection period, underlying conditions, telehealth utilization, and geographical location were identified as significant determinants of post-COVID-19 symptoms. The study concluded that improving resource allocation and health-seeking behavior in underserved areas could help address differences in health outcomes and improve post-COVID-19 control in Vietnam.

Patients' Active Participation in Postoperative Pain Management in an Urban Hospital of Vietnam: Implications for Patient Empowerment.

Active participation in pain management is vital to improve postoperative pain outcomes. However, this issue has not been fully examined in Vietnam. This study aimed to examine the active participation of patients in pain management after surgery, as well as explore its effect on acute postoperative pain.A hospital-based survey on 245 patients after surgery was conducted. Information about demographic and clinical characteristics, pain intensity and active participation in pain management was collected. Multivariate regression models were utilized to determine the associations.53.9% of patients reported that they were informed about the postoperative pain relief method before surgery. One-third (33.5%) of patients selected preferred pain relief methods; 46.1% reported that they asked physicians when feeling pain immediately after surgery; 49.8% asked physicians when pain was not relieved after taking medications, and 52.2% asked physicians for their current pain in the time of interview. Age and occupation were found to be positively associated with active participation score. Patients being informed about the postoperative pain relief method before surgery had 0.87 points higher than those not receiving explanation (Coef. = 0.87; 95%CI = 0.49-1.26). Patients with high active participation scores were more likely to have pain improvement (OR = 3.41, 95%CI = 2.37-4.92).This study highlights a low level of active participation in postoperative pain management among Vietnamese patients. Routinely providing information about pain control before surgery, and encouraging patients to actively participate in pain management are essential to improve postoperative pain outcomes.

Corrigendum: Interdisciplinary Assessment of Hygiene Practices in Multiple Locations: Implications for COVID-19 Pandemic Preparedness in Vietnam.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.589183.].

Malnutrition is associated with dysphagia in Vietnamese older adult inpatients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The number of older adults is increasing rapidly in Vietnam. They suffer from various health problems, including malnutrition and dysphagia. By using a simple screening questionnaire such as the Mini Nutritional Assessment - Short Form (MNA-SF) and 10-item Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10), nutritional and dysphagic status were screened in this study. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of and relationship between malnutrition and dysphagia in Vietnamese older adult inpatients. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: The study was designed as a cross-sectional study and conducted in three large hospitals in northern Vietnam. The data about nutritional status and dysphagia status of 1007 older inpatients were collected by dietitians. RESULTS: There were 71.6% of subjects at malnourished (MNA-SF score <8) and risk of malnutrition (MNA-SF score: 8-11). The prevalence of dysphagia by EAT-10 was 24.6%. The risk of dysphagia was independently associated with higher risk of malnutrition, with an odds ratio of 3.21 (95% CI: 1.93-5.31, p<0.001). In addition, malnutrition was also an independent predictor for risk of dysphagia, with an odds ratio of 3.09 (95% CI: 1.84- 5.17, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition and dysphagia prevalence were high; and malnutrition and dysphagia have a strong relationship among older adult inpatients in Vietnam. Therefore, nutritional and dysphagia screening at hospital admission are very important and recommended.

The Contribution of Digital Health in the Response to Covid-19 in Vietnam.

Emerging from early of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has become one of the most serious health crisis globally. In response to such threat, a wide range of digital health applications has been deployed in Vietnam to strengthen surveillance, risk communication, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19. Digital health has brought enormous benefits to the fight against COVID-19, however, numerous constrains in digital health application remain. Lack of strong governance of digital health development and deployment; insufficient infrastructure and staff capacity for digital health application are among the main drawbacks. Despite several outstanding problems, digital health is expected to contribute to reducing the spread, improving the effectiveness of pandemic control, and adding to the dramatic transformation of the health system the post-COVID era.

COVID-19 Preparedness and Response: Validation of a Rapid Assessment Tool to Evaluate Priorities of Health Workers at the Grassroots Level.

Since the initial phases of the COVID-19 outbreak, international recommendations for disease control have been readily available. However, blind implementation of these recommendations without grassroot-level support could result in public distrust and low adherence. This study evaluated the use of a public health priorities survey to rapidly assess perceptions of local health workers. A cross-sectional study using a web-based survey was conducted among 5,847 health workers and medical students from January to February 2020 to evaluate the level of prioritization of various public health measures. Measures with the highest levels of prioritization were "Early prevention, environmental sanitation, and improvement of population health" and "Mobilization of community participation in disease control," which were concordant with policies implemented by the Vietnamese government. This study also demonstrated a high level of internal validity among survey items and shared ranking of priorities among all occupational groups. The use of this public health priorities survey was found to be effective in identifying priorities as identified by grassroots health workers to provide real-time feedback to the national government. However, future iterations of this survey should consider limiting the use of each prioritization score to ensure that responses represent the reality of source limitations and consider focusing on medical professionals and community workers due medical students' limited experience with Vietnam's healthcare infrastructure.

Cyberbullying Among School Adolescents in an Urban Setting of a Developing Country: Experience, Coping Strategies, and Mediating Effects of Different Support on Psychological Well-Being.

Background: This study examined the cyberbullying experience and coping manners of adolescents in urban Vietnam and explored the mediating effect of different support to the associations between cyberbullying and mental health issues. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on 484 students at four secondary schools. Cyberbullying experience, coping strategies, psychological problems, and family, peer, and teacher support were obtained. Structural equation modeling was utilized to determine the mediating effects of different support on associations between cyberbullying and psychological problems. Results: There were 11.6 and 28.3% of students who reported that they experienced and observed at least one cyberbullying act in the last 3 months, respectively. Among the victims, only 48.2% tried to stop the perpetrators. Meanwhile, the majority of observers belonged to the "Intervene" group who tried to report cyberbullying acts or help victims. Family support was found to partially mediate associations between cyberbullying experience and observation with levels of psychological problems among adolescents. Conclusion: The 3-month rate of cyberbullying experience and observation among urban adolescents aged 11-14 was low. However, current coping strategies against cyberbullying were not sufficient. Family support is an important factor that should be considered for designing interventions to mitigating the impacts of cyberbullying on the mental health of adolescents.

Evaluating Training Need for Epidemic Control in Three Metropolitans: Implications for COVID-19 Preparedness in Vietnam.

Upon the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries worldwide face a critical shortage of human resources in the health sector. Medical students are a potential task force with the capability to support the stretched health sector. This study aims to evaluate their training need for epidemic control in order to employ them effectively. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a web-based survey from December 2019 to February 2020. There were 5,786 observations collected using the snowball sampling technique. Logistic regression was applied to identify factors associated with training participation in epidemic prevention and disaster prevention. Multiple Poisson regression model was constructed to examine factors associated with the number of times they participated in sanitation training and disaster prevention activities in the previous 12 months. Sanitation and health education communication activities had the highest proportion of participants, with 76.5 and 38.4%, followed by examining and treating diseases in the community (13.4%). Those who participated in community activities had a higher number of times to participate in epidemic sanitation training and be involved in disaster prevention. This study informed the need for training programs to prepare medical students for COVID-19 epidemic responses. The training curriculum should include both theoretical approaches and contextual approaches to achieve efficient epidemic control.

Postoperative Pain Management among Registered Nurses in a Vietnamese Hospital.

This study examined the postoperative pain management practices among registered nurses in an urban hospital in Vietnam. Data of 90 nurses about postoperative pain management practices and pain management at the department were collected. Results indicated that 83.3% of nurses reported that they regularly assessed the degree of pain for postoperative patients. Only 32.2% used assessment tools such as the numeric rating scale to measure pain. Experience in pain management and having guidelines in the department were associated with a higher score in pain management practice. Findings suggested that facilitating the use of pain instruments and developing pain management guidelines should be prioritized.

Peripheral nerve injury and sensitization underlie pain associated with oral cancer perineural invasion.

Cancer invading into nerves, termed perineural invasion (PNI), is associated with pain. Here, we show that oral cancer patients with PNI report greater spontaneous pain and mechanical allodynia compared with patients without PNI, suggesting that unique mechanisms drive PNI-induced pain. We studied the impact of PNI on peripheral nerve physiology and anatomy using a murine sciatic nerve PNI model. Mice with PNI exhibited spontaneous nociception and mechanical allodynia. Perineural invasion induced afterdischarge in A high-threshold mechanoreceptors (HTMRs), mechanical sensitization (ie, decreased mechanical thresholds) in both A and C HTMRs, and mechanical desensitization in low-threshold mechanoreceptors. Perineural invasion resulted in nerve damage, including axon loss, myelin damage, and axon degeneration. Electrophysiological evidence of nerve injury included decreased conduction velocity, and increased percentage of both mechanically insensitive and electrically unexcitable neurons. We conclude that PNI-induced pain is driven by nerve injury and peripheral sensitization in HTMRs.

Coverage of Health Information by Different Sources in Communities: Implication for COVID-19 Epidemic Response.

Health personnel and community workers are at the front line of the COVID-19 emergency response and need to be equipped with adequate knowledge related to epidemics for an effective response. This study aimed to identify the coverage of COVID-19 health information via different sources accessed by health workers and community workers in Vietnam. A cross-sectional study using a web-based survey was carried out from January to February 2020 in Vietnam. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) was used for recruiting participants. We utilized the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to examine the construct validity of the questionnaire. A higher percentage of participants knew about "Clinical and pathogen characteristics of COVID-19", compared to "Regulations and policies related to COVID-19". The percentage of participants accessing the information on "Guidelines and policies on prevention and control of COVID-19" was the lowest, especially among medical students. "Mass media and peer-educators" channels had a higher score of accessing COVID-19 information, compared to "Organizations/ agencies/ associations" sources. Participants consumed most of their COVID-19 information via "Internet, online newspapers, social networks". Our findings indicate an urgency to re-design training programs and communication activities for a more effective dissemination of information related to the COVID-19 epidemic or epidemics in general.

Interdisciplinary Assessment of Hygiene Practices in Multiple Locations: Implications for COVID-19 Pandemic Preparedness in Vietnam.

Due to the shared border with China, Vietnam faced risks from the COVID-19 pandemic at the early stages of the outbreak. Good hygiene practices were considered an effective prevention method, but there were only minimal data on the effectiveness of hygiene practices against the pandemic at the community level. Thus, this study aims to assess hygiene practices in society by using a community-based survey. A cross-sectional study using survey monkey was conducted from December 2019 to February 2020. The Snowball sampling technique was used to recruit participants and exploratory factor analysis was applied to scrutinize the construct validity of the measurement. We used the Tobit regression model to assess the association. Hygiene in a high-risk environment and hygiene in the social and educational environment were two main factors after applying the EFA method. Participants grade community sanitation quite low (around 6 out of 10). Furthermore, the mean score of hygiene practice at a local level in a high-risk environment was slightly low at 6.0. The score of sanitation in the Central region (5.3) was quite low compared to the North (5.8) and the South (6.2). The most high-risk environment was construction, industrial zone and food safety. Moreover, younger respondents were more likely to report poorer hygiene practices in high-risk environments (Coefficient = -1.67; 95% CI = -3.03; -0.32) and social and educational environment (Coefficient = -1.29; 95% CI = -2.54; -0.04). Our study gives an insight into pandemic preparedness at the grassroots level. The findings suggest the necessity of specific communication education for society to improve the compliance of hygiene practices to prevent the spreading of COVID-19.

Okara Improved Blood Glucose Level in Vietnamese with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been increasing rapidly in Vietnam. We hypothesized that the main reason may be low fiber intake. Regarding sources, fiber comes mainly from vegetables. However, vegetables popular in Vietnam have low fiber (<2 g fiber/100 g vegetable), so it is difficult to supply sufficient fiber only from vegetables. Therefore, in this study we tried to increase fiber intake a day by using 60 g of Okara foods, containing about 6 g of fiber per day, and assess the effects on the blood glucose levels of DM patients. We contacted 300 type 2 DM outpatients at a hospital and selected 60 of them. We formed 30 pairs matched by gender, age, BMI and years with DM and divided them randomly into an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group consumed about 6 g of fiber from Okara per day for 2 wk. At the baseline and final periods, anthropometric measurements, blood withdrawal and a 3-d weighing method nutrition survey were conducted. Dietary fiber intake increased from 6.9 to 12.6 g (p<0.01) in the intervention group, but there was no change in the control group. Fasting blood glucose and fructosamine in the intervention group dropped from 6.3 to 5.4 mmol/L (p<0.05) and from 319 to 301 µmol/L (p<0.05), respectively but they remained unchanged in the control group. Vietnamese people consumed about 60 g of Okara per day from various menus and increased fiber intake to 6 g/d in 2 wk, which improved blood glucose in DM patients.

Global Evolution of Obesity Research in Children and Youths: Setting Priorities for Interventions and Policies.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity has become a major global epidemic that causes substantial social and health burdens worldwide. The effectiveness of childhood obesity control and prevention depends largely on understanding the issue, including its current development and associated factors in a contextualized perspective. OBJECTIVES: Our study aimed to gauge this kind of understanding. METHODS: We systematically searched the Web of Science database for studies concerning child obesity published up to 2017 and analyzed the volume of publications, growth rates, impact scores, collaborations, authors, affiliations, and journals. A total of 57,444 research papers were included. RESULTS: The three subject categories with the highest number of papers (over 3,000) were (1) nutrition and dietetics, (2) pediatrics, and (3) public, environmental, and occupational health. We found a dramatic increase in the amount of scientific literature on childhood obesity in the past one or two decades, led by scholars from the USA - ranking at the top regarding the total number of papers (23,965 papers; 30.8%) and total number of citations (859,793 citations) - and multiple Western countries where the obesity epidemic is prevalent. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the need for improving international and local research capacities and collaboration to accelerate knowledge production and translation into contextualized and effective childhood obesity prevention.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice about Dengue Fever among Patients Experiencing the 2017 Outbreak in Vietnam.

There is a gap in the literature on the understanding of the general Vietnamese population toward dengue fever (DF). This study aimed to explore knowledge, attitudes, practice (KAP) of dengue fever among Vietnamese participants and the potential associated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 330 patients at the Bach Mai Hospital in Northern Vietnam. A Tobit regression model was utilized to investigate the associated factors. The average knowledge score was 4.6/19. Respondents perceived their risk of DF infection to be very low (39.5%) to low (20.7%) and had a neutral attitude about the necessity of hospitalization when being infected with DF (60.9%). A total of 17.6%, 9.8% and 6.6% of respondents reported frequently changing water, properly disposing of waste and covering water storage containers to eliminate larvae. Gender, education level, duration of illness and travel history were correlated with knowledge. Occupation, the presence of DF in the neighborhood, mosquito density at home and DF symptom severity were associated with attitudes. Occupation, mosquito density at home, type of patient, knowledge and attitudes were associated with practices. To enhance the KAP towards DF, further efforts should first be directed to improve knowledge through education, especially at the school level and people in less developed areas.

A Bibliometric Analysis of the Global Research Trend in Child Maltreatment.

Child maltreatment remains a major health threat globally that requires the understanding of socioeconomic and cultural contexts to craft effective interventions. However, little is known about research agendas globally and the development of knowledge-producing networks in this field of study. This study aims to explore the bibliometric overview on child maltreatment publications to understand their growth from 1916 to 2018. Data from the Web of Science Core Collection were collected in May 2018. Only research articles and reviews written in the English language were included, with no restrictions by publication date. We analyzed publication years, number of papers, journals, authors, keywords and countries, and presented the countries collaboration and co-occurrence keywords analysis. From 1916 to 2018, 47,090 papers (53.0% in 2010⁻2018) were published in 9442 journals. Child Abuse & Neglect (2576 papers; 5.5%); Children and Youth Services Review (1130 papers; 2.4%) and Pediatrics (793 papers, 1.7%) published the most papers. The most common research areas were Psychology (16,049 papers, 34.1%), Family Studies (8225 papers, 17.5%), and Social Work (7367 papers, 15.6%). Among 192 countries with research publications, the most prolific countries were the United States (26,367 papers), England (4676 papers), Canada (3282 papers) and Australia (2664 papers). We identified 17 authors who had more than 60 scientific items. The most cited papers (with at least 600 citations) were published in 29 journals, headed by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) (7 papers) and the Lancet (5 papers). This overview of global research in child maltreatment indicated an increasing trend in this topic, with the world’s leading centers located in the Western countries led by the United States. We called for interdisciplinary research approaches to evaluating and intervening on child maltreatment, with a focus on low-middle income countries (LMICs) settings and specific contexts.