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Many countries use a fee-for-service model for hepatitis B vaccination, which amplifies health disparities across socioeconomic statuses and contributes to inequalities in HBV vaccination rates. We examined the role of household income on women’s willingness to pay and the amount they are willing to pay for HBV vaccination to identify a more optimized payment scheme and equitable access across all income groups., Key Findings Most women were willing to pay for the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine and there was no difference in willingness to pay for HBV vaccination between income quintiles.The amount willing to pay for the vaccine was different between income levels for prices higher than US$4.50. Key Implications Because women from the lowest income quintile had the lowest awareness of the HBV vaccine, efforts on education and awareness of HBV and the vaccine should focus on low-income women.Given the high vertical transmission rates of HBV infection, policy makers should prioritize vaccinating women of reproductive age as well as newborns.In light of the finding that higher-income women were willing to pay more for the vaccine, adopting a sliding-scale payment system may mitigate challenges with funding and provide opportunities for equitable vaccine access., Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is endemic in Vietnam and can be transmitted from mother to child. Vaccination of women of reproductive age (WRA) can reduce this transmission. Because adult HBV vaccination in Vietnam follows a fee-for-service model, research is needed to determine the effect of household income on willingness to pay (WTP) to ensure equitable access to the vaccine. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in Hanoi, Vietnam, in April 2018, among WRA. Questionnaires were administered to assess household income, HBV history, vaccination status, vaccine awareness, and WTP for the vaccine. Multivariable logistic and interval regression were performed to assess the impact of household income on WTP for HBV vaccine. Results: This study found that 62.3% of all participants were willing to pay for the HBV vaccine with no differences in WTP across income quintiles. There were significant differences among household income levels in awareness of HBV vaccination and WTP amount beyond US$4.50 with the lowest awareness and WTP amount among women from the lowest income quintiles. Conclusions: Our data suggest the need to subsidize HBV vaccination for low-income women to ensure more equitable access to HBV vaccination. We propose that a sliding-scale payment method may be an effective strategy in light of limited funding to support vaccination expansion. An education campaign focusing on lower-income households should also be implemented in conjunction with this program. Further research would be required to evaluate consumer acceptance of this payment scheme and to develop an appropriate sliding scale to maximize vaccine uptake.

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 &ldquo, Clinical and pathogen characteristics of COVID-19&rdquo, compared to &ldquo, Regulations and policies related to COVID-19&rdquo, The percentage of participants accessing the information on &ldquo, Guidelines and policies on prevention and control of COVID-19&rdquo, was the lowest, especially among medical students. &ldquo, Mass media and peer-educators&rdquo, channels had a higher score of accessing COVID-19 information, compared to &ldquo, Organizations/ agencies/ associations&rdquo, sources. Participants consumed most of their COVID-19 information via &ldquo, Internet, online newspapers, social networks&rdquo, 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.

Background. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine is a critical approach to prevent HBV transmission from mother to child. However, despite high HBV prevalence, evidence about the preference of women of productive age for HBV vaccine in Vietnam was constrained. This study aims to explore the preference and willingness to pay (WTP) for the HBV vaccine in Vietnamese women in productive age. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Hanoi in April 2016. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information about respondents’ socioeconomic status and knowledge about HBV vaccination. A contingent valuation approach was employed to measure the WTP for the HBV vaccine. Logistic and interval regressions were used to determine the associated factors. Results. Among 807 women, 80.8% were willing to have the vaccine injected which had the average price of 108,600 VND (95% CI, 97,580 VND–119,570 VND). Participants not suffering any diseases during pregnancy were more likely to be willing to pay for the HBV vaccine (OR = 3.41, 95% CI = 1.73–6.70). Not having the antenatal examination at central hospitals and working as farmers/workers were positively correlated with willingness to pay for this vaccine, while the number of children of respondents had a negative correlation with WTP. Conclusions. Our sampled women expressed a high willingness to pay for the vaccine. The price people were willing to pay for the vaccine, however, is equal to half of the actual price. These findings implied needs for better targeted public education interventions about HBV and the involvement of local medical staffs and the media in providing information. Efforts to reduce the price of the vaccine should also be warranted for scaling-up the coverage of this vaccine.

Background As smartphone becomes increasingly prevalent and affordable, more youths today can own a smartphone device and download applications in various application stores. Smartphone applications have been proven to be useful for youths in various aspects. However, there has been a paucity of data looking into the preferences of Vietnamese youths and adolescents with regards to health-related applications and their receptiveness towards smartphone apps. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the receptiveness and preferences of health-related smartphone applications (mHealth apps) among online Vietnamese youths and adolescents. Methods An online cross-sectional study was conducted between the periods of August till October 2015 in Vietnam. Respondent-driven sampling technique (RDS) was utilized to recruit participants. Participants were asked questions about their history of downloading and using health-related smartphone applications and their receptiveness when using these applications. Moreover, socio-demographic characteristics and health status were also self-reported. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to determine associated factors. Results Among 1028 participants, 57.4% owned a smartphone and only 14.1% of smartphone users have used a health-related smartphone application, and most of these individuals downloaded the applications for disease prevention (66.3%). 66.4% of the participants who owned these applications reported that health applications were useful and 92.8% reported being satisfied with the functionalities of the applications which they owned. Among smartphone users, people who were employed (OR = 15.46; 95%CI = 4.93–48.47) were more likely to download mHealth apps. Meanwhile, youths with higher EQ-5D index had a lower likelihood of downloading healthcare-related smartphone applications (OR = 0.17; 95%CI = 0.04–0.81). Conclusions This study highlighted a low rate of mHealth apps utilization among online Vietnamese youths and adolescents but a high acceptance of individuals who already used these apps. Developing mHealth apps or interventions towards the disease prevention and quality of life improvement could be feasible to proliferate the benefits of such applications in youths and adolescents in Vietnam. Further research should be conducted to optimize the contents and interfaces of mHealth apps that meet the needs of these populations.

Despite the availability of effective and safe rubella vaccines for women of childbearing age, prevention and control of congenital rubella syndrome in children remains challenging in Vietnam. In order to examine this issue, we conducted a cross-sectional study, examining the current coverage of rubella vaccination before pregnancy among 807 pregnant women and women with children under 12 months of age in urban and rural districts, Dong Da and Ba Vi, in Hanoi, Vietnam. In this population, we observed an alarming non-compliance rate with rubella vaccination before pregnancy in both localities. Among the 82.0% of participants who remained unvaccinated against this contagious viral infection, 95.8% of them were in Ba Vi district, compared to 68.0% in Dong Da district (p &lt, 0.001). Besides the differences in age, number of children, education levels, primary occupations and monthly incomes among the participants between the two districts, other reasons for noncompliance with rubella vaccination includeddisinterest in rubella vaccination, the high cost and long distance to vaccination sites as well as unawareness of vaccination locations. In addition to addressing the unique socio-economicchallenges behind one&rsquo, s accessibility to vaccination services in urban and rural areas, our study supports a continued effort in ensuring proper access to and education about pre-pregnancy vaccines and vaccination among women of childbearing age in order to achieve and sustain sufficient immunization coverage of rubella and other vaccine-preventable diseases in both settings.