Mental Health Among Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Vietnam / 예방의학회지

Objectives@#The objective of this study was to characterize mental health issues among Vietnamese healthcare workers (HCWs) and to identify related factors. @*Methods@#A cross-sectional study was conducted with 990 HCWs in 2021. Their mental health status was measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. @*Results@#In total, 49.9%, 52.3%, and 29.8% of respondents were found to have depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. The multivariable linear regression model revealed that factors associated with increased anxiety scores included depression scores (β, 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39 to 0.51) and stress scores (β, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.41 to 0.52). Factors associated with increased depression scores included being frontline HCWs (β, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.10 to 1.10), stress scores (β, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.56), and anxiety scores (β, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.47), while working experience was associated with reduced depression scores (β, -0.08; 95% CI, -0.16 to -0.01). Factors associated with increased stress scores included working experience (β, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.00 to 0.16), personal protective equipment interference with daily activities (β, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.07 to 1.00), depression scores (β, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.48 to 0.59), and anxiety scores (β, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.39 to 0.50), while age was associated with reduced stress scores (β, -0.12; 95% CI, -0.20 to -0.05). @*Conclusions@#Specific interventions are necessary to enhance and promote the mental health of HCWs so they can successfully cope with the circumstances of the pandemic.

Sleep Quality and Poor Sleep-related Factors Among Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Vietnam / 예방의학회지

Objectives@#The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the workload of healthcare workers (HCWs), impacting their health. This study aimed to assess sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and identify factors associated with poor sleep among HCWs in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic. @*Methods@#In this cross-sectional study, 1000 frontline HCWs were recruited from various healthcare facilities in Vietnam between October 2021 and November 2021. Data were collected using a 3-part self-administered questionnaire, which covered demographics, sleep quality, and factors related to poor sleep. Poor sleep quality was defined as a total PSQI score of 5 or higher. @*Results@#Participants’ mean age was 33.20±6.81 years (range, 20.0-61.0), and 63.0% were women. The median work experience was 8.54±6.30 years. Approximately 6.3% had chronic comorbidities, such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus. About 59.5% were directly responsible for patient care and treatment, while 7.1% worked in tracing and sampling. A total of 73.8% reported poor sleep quality. Multivariate logistic regression revealed significant associations between poor sleep quality and the presence of chronic comorbidities (odds ratio [OR], 2.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17 to 5.24), being a frontline HCW directly involved in patient care and treatment (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.16 to 2.16), increased working hours (OR, 1.84; 95% CI,1.37 to 2.48), and a higher frequency of encountering critically ill and dying patients (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.95). @*Conclusions@#The high prevalence of poor sleep among HCWs in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic was similar to that in other countries. Working conditions should be adjusted to improve sleep quality among this population.

Preventive behavior of Vietnamese people in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

We sought to evaluate the adherence of Vietnamese adults to COVID-19 preventive measures, and gain insight into the effects of the epidemic on the daily lives of Vietnamese people. An online questionnaire survey was organized from March 31 to April 6, 2020. The questionnaire assessed preventive behavior using multiple-answer responses to indicate the extent of adherence. In total, 2175 respondents completed the questionnaire (age range: 18-69 years). The mean adherence scores for personal and community preventive measures were 7.23 {+/-} 1.63 (range 1-9) and 9.57 {+/-} 1.12 (range 1-11), respectively. Perceived adaptation of the community to lockdown ({beta}=2.64, 95% CI 1.25-4.03), fears/worries concerning ones health ({beta}=2.87, 95% CI 0.04-5.70), residing in large cities ({beta}=19.40, 95% CI 13.78-25.03), access to official COVID-19 information sources ({beta}=16.45, 95% CI 6.82-26.08), and belonging to the healthcare sector ({beta}=22.53, 95% CI 16.00-29.07) were associated with a higher adherence score to anti-COVID instructions. The study indicates excellent preventive behavior of the Vietnamese population which explains the low number of COVID-19 infections and zero recorded mortality up to the first week of May 2020. Further monitoring is recommended to assess the sustainability of COVID-19 prevention via behavior change in the medium and long-term.