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Background: Adolescents frequently encounter a spectrum of psychiatric conditions, predominantly depressive and anxiety disorders, along with various behavioral disturbances., Objective: This investigation aims to delineate the prevalence of depressive disorders among adolescents in urban Vietnam and to elucidate the interrelationships between familial and school-related dynamics and adolescent depression., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2022, involving 507 students aged 15 to 17 from high schools in Hanoi, Vietnam. Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale - Second Edition (RADS-2) was used to assess the presence of depressive symptoms. Social-demographic characteristics, adolescent-family and adolescent-school relationships, and academic environment characteristics of high school students were interviewed. Multivariate Tobit regression models were employed to discern contributory factors across four domains of RADS-2., Results: Among the 507 adolescents, the mean scores on the RADS scale were 15.1 ± 4.2 for the dysphoric mood domain, 16.4 ± 4.0 for the anhedonia-negative domain, 13.1 ± 4.4 for the negative self-evaluation domain, and 12.4 ± 3.7 for the somatic complaints domain. The analysis indicated that adolescents with suboptimal parental relationships, absence of confidants, frequent parental conflicts, exposure to parental arguments, substantial exam-related stress, or overwhelming academic demands were more likely to exhibit elevated depressive symptoms. Conversely, adolescents who were satisfied with their friendships at school and received care, support from teachers or friends, and involved in school's extracurricular activities lower exhibited levels of depression., Conclusions: Findings reveal the significant impact of family and peer relationships, as well as academic stress, on the development of depressive symptoms. These significant results inform the design and development of future interventions aimed at mitigating depression risks among high school students, emphasizing the crucial roles of both educational institutions and family dynamics., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Improving vaccine coverage among children is crucial to prevent the long-term consequences of COVID-19 infections and the emergence of resistant COVID-19 variants, especially in resource-scarce settings. This study determined factors influencing the willingness to take and pay for COVID-19 vaccine for children among Vietnamese healthcare professionals and the public. A Theory-Based discrete-choice experiment was focused on a different topic related to vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine for children, Monkeypox, the adult COVID-19 booster, the HIV vaccine, and a potential future pandemic. The recruitment period was from April to August 2022, and a total of 5700 Vietnamese individuals aged 16 and above from various regions of the country participated in the study. The data for the sub-study on the COVID-19 vaccination for children was completed by 891 of these participants. Most participants agreed on vaccination for all children. Among healthcare professionals it was 76.2% and 69.3% for the general population. Healthcare professionals were the main source of vaccine information (70.7%). Payment options of 50%, 100%, and full subsidy were the most popular. Concerns about vaccine characteristics were associated with lower acceptance among healthcare professionals and the general public. The burden of historical medical expenses negatively correlated with willingness to pay for vaccination, while service satisfaction positively correlated with willingness to pay. To develop an effective vaccination program among children in Vietnam, providing accurate information and satisfying vaccine services, primarily through knowledgeable and professional healthcare providers, can improve the willingness to vaccinate and pay for the COVID-19 vaccine., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the way of life of many individuals, especially those working at the frontlines, such as healthcare workers. Our study aims to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the socio-economic status, quality of life, and sleep quality when Vietnam was experiencing the 4th wave of the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 604 healthcare workers using snowball sampling from October through to November 2021. Our study examined the impact of the government's COVID-19 prevention policy including personal protective measures (5K measures), directive 15, directive 16, and directive 16 plus. The EQ-5D-5L and EQ-VAS were used to measure health-related quality of life and a scale of 1 to 10 was used to rate sleep quality of healthcare workers., Results: A total of 604 respondents, most people were female (57.9%), and working as civil servants (75.3%). Very few participants were able to increase their earnings during the pandemic. Participants who did not have monthly allowance amounts had the highest proportion (60.1%), followed by those under 2 million VND (21.2%). In the univariate regression model, people with high government policy scores tend to have lower quality of life and sleep quality scores. In addition, in the multivariable regression model, people with high scores on government policies tend to have lower quality of life (EQ-5D) scores., Conclusion: The COVID-19 prevention measures had a negative impact on quality of life, sleep quality, and daily demands of healthcare workers. These findings should help guide future policy implementations., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Falls are a leading cause of death among elderly people. However, research on the cost of fall-related injuries is limited in Vietnam. We estimated treatment costs and associated factors among 405 elderly patients in Thai Binh hospitals. Costs were estimated through self-reported data on medical and non-medical expenses. Logistic regression and GLM were used to identify payment and affordability factors. Inpatient and outpatient care costs for fall-related injuries were US$98.06 and US$8.53, respectively. 11.85% of participants couldn't pay for treatment. Payment ability and cost decline were linked to family income, medical history, and hospital stay length. Elderly with fall-related injuries in Vietnam experienced high costs and severe health issues. Primary healthcare services and communication campaigns should be strengthened to reduce disease burden and develop effective fall injury prevention strategies., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

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., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

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., Competing Interests: Disclosure of interest: The authors completed the ICMJE Disclosure of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and disclose no relevant interests., (Copyright © 2023 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

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., (© 2023. The Author(s).)