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Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally. This study aimed to measure the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of TBI patients in Vietnam and evaluate the associated factors. Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted in Thai Binh, Vietnam, from February to September 2020. The EuroQol-5 Dimensions-5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L) and EQ-Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS) were used to measure HRQOL. Socio-demographic characteristics, including age, gender, education level, employment status, marital status, and income, as well as clinical characteristics such as injury severity, cause of injury, comorbidities, and functional status, were collected through patient interviews and medical records. Multivariate Tobit regression analysis was performed to identify variables associated with HRQOL. Results: The study included 212 TBI patients. The mean scores of the VAS and EQ-5D-5L scales were 82.4/100 (SD = 14.49) and 0.9/1.0 (SD = 0.2), respectively, indicating a relatively high HRQOL. However, certain factors significantly impacted HRQOL. Unemployed patients and those with depression or higher injury severity, as measured by the Injury Severity Score (ISS), had notably lower HRQOL scores. Poor sleep quality and severe functional impairments also adversely affected HRQOL, whereas patients discharged for a longer period had slightly better HRQOL scores. Conclusion: This study highlights that while HRQOL is relatively high among TBI patients, mental health disorders, injury severity, and functional impairments are key factors negatively impacting their quality of life. High HRQOL was defined by mean scores on the VAS and EQ-5D-5L scales, with higher scores indicating better quality of life. Home-based interventions addressing these issues could improve HRQOL for TBI patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Falls among the elderly are an important global health problem. This study assesses knowledge regarding risk factors of falls, as well as attitudes and practices towards fall prevention among older adults in the rural community. A cross-sectional study was performed in four rural communes in Thai Binh province, Vietnam. A total of 3038 older people were recruited. Knowledge was assessed by using Falls Risk Awareness Questionnaire. Questions about attitudes were based on the Health Belief Model. Other questions regarding attitudes and practices regarding fall prevention were also asked. Multivariate regression was performed to identify associated factors with knowledge, attitudes and practices. Results showed that the mean score of knowledge regarding risk factors of falls was low at 11.37/32. The highest scores were observed in terms of drug aspects, followed by medical condition and behavioural aspects. Older people mostly agreed with perceived severity, susceptibility, benefits and barriers, but their attitudes about cues to action, health motivation and actions were most neutral. Meanwhile, more than half of the participants practised recommended fall preventive measures. To conclude, health education interventions and fall prevention services that enhance community-based fall prevention knowledge, attitudes and practices for older adults should be performed to reduce the burden of falls in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]