Wearing masks as a protective measure for children against traffic-related air pollution: A comparison of perceptions between school children and their caregivers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) problems are unlikely to be solved in the short term, making it imperative to educate children on protective measures to mitigate the negative impact on their health. Children and their caregivers may hold differing views on wearing a face mask as a safeguard against air pollution. While many studies have focused on predicting children's health-protective behaviours against air pollution, few have explored the differences in perceptions between children and their caregivers. OBJECTIVES: To examine this, we conducted a study that compared the health beliefs of two generations and evaluated the factors that influence the use of masks by children to reduce air pollution exposure. METHODS: The study was conducted in 24 secondary schools and involved 8420 children aged 13-14 and their caregivers. We used a Health Belief Model (HBM)-based instrument containing 17-item self-administered health beliefs questionnaires to gather data. The results were analysed using hierarchical logistic regression to determine the probability of children frequently wearing masks to protect against TRAP. RESULTS: Our study showed both children and caregivers recognised that several factors could influence mask-wearing among children: discomfort or difficulty breathing while wearing a mask and forgetting to bring a mask when going outside; perceived threats of the poor quality of air and children's respiratory health problems; and cues to mask use (i.e., seeing most of their friends wearing facemasks and ease of finding masks in local stores). However, only children were significantly concerned with public perception of their appearance while wearing a mask. Females were more likely to wear masks, and caregivers with higher levels of education were more likely to encourage their children to wear masks. Children who commuted to schools by walking, biking, or motorbiking were also more accepting of mask-wearing than those who travelled by car or bus. CONCLUSIONS: Children and their caregivers hold different perceptions of wearing masks to protect against air pollution. Children are more susceptible to social judgements regarding their appearance when wearing a mask.

Fine particulate matter and daily hospitalizations for mental and behavioral disorders: A time-series study in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Various adverse health outcomes caused by particulate matter (PM) exposure has been documented, while the evidence for the adverse effects of PM exposure on mental and behavioral disorders (MBDs) is limited. To date, few epidemiological studies, especially in developing countries, have focused on these adverse effects. In the past decade, air pollution sources in Vietnam have noticeably increased, resulting to the elevated concentrations of ambient air pollutants particularly fine PM or PM with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5). Hence, investigating the short-term association between PM2.5 and MBDs is worthwhile. In this study, a quasi-Poisson time-series regression analysis was used to investigate the association between PM2.5 exposure and daily hospitalizations for MBDs to the Ho Chi Minh City Mental Health Hospital during 2017-2020. A natural cubic spline smooth function for time was used to screen out long-term and seasonality trends. Stratified analyses were also performed by sex, age, and season. During study period, 9,986 hospitalizations for MBDs were recorded and included in the analysis. Results suggested that a 10 µg/m3 daily increase in PM2.5 concentration was associated with a statistically significant 2.96% (95% confidence interval: 0.23%-5.76%) increase in hospitalizations for MBDs. The effects of PM2.5 exposure on hospital admissions were more pronounced in female patients and the middle-age group (35-59 years). This finding could increase awareness regarding prevention and minimization of MBDs on the public.