The study was carried on 3 communes of Giao Thuy district, 2 communes of Xuan Truong district, Nam Dinh province and 3 communes of Dong Hung district, Thai Binh province. The results showed that hemoglobin levels are similar between two genders, reduce gradually consistent with age and are lowest in interior field residents. Total cholesterol level at more than 5.2mmol/l accounts for average of 12.4%; triglycerid level at more than 2.3mmol/l accounts for average of 19.9% and HDL cholesterol at less than 0.9mmol/l makes 26.4%. The rates are highest in older population. These indices have high rate in town areas, followed by coastal areas and lowest in interior field areas. The mean rate of older people who have dyslipidemia is 5.1%.
Aged ; blood

The study was performed on 727 currently working and retied officials in Thai Binh province to evaluate reality of hypertension. Results: the overall percentage of hypertension was 51% and tended to increase gradually by age- groups: < 60 years of age accounted for 8.8%; 60-70 years of age 14.7%; over 70 years of age 27.5%. The rate of hypertension in males was more than females. Hypertension level 1 accounted for 25.45%, level II 15.4% and level III 10.8%. The rate of hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy was 21%, coronary insufficiency 18.59% and heart rhythm disorder 3.5%. The rate of coronary insufficiency, left ventricular hypertrophy and heart rhythm disorder in hypertension level I group were 10.8%, 4.86%, 1.6%, respectively, lower than hypertension level II group (37.8%, 47.2%, 6.8%, respectively)
Hypertension ; Epidemiology

Background: Rate of anemia is quite high in hospitals. This condition occurs in all age groups, genders, occupations and all areas of the country. The assessment of the situation, degree, nature as well as classification of anemia is necessary for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Objectives: To study the features of anemia on the patients treated in Thai Binh General hospital. Subjects and methods: the analytic descriptive study was carried out on 3522 cases who were treated in Thaibinh General hospital from May 1st, 2004 to April 30th, 2005. Results: The percentage of the anemic patients was 14.16% of the total patients in Thaibinh General hospital. The rate of the anemia of children was 57.61 % and the elderly was 19% of all anemic patients. The rate of mild anemia was 64.2% and the sever anemia was 14.9%. The rate of chronic anemia was 72.9%. The microcytic anemia was 45.94%, the macrocytic anemia was 0.57%. The anemia in the blood diseases and hematopoietic diseases were 8.38% including thrombocytopenic purpura, thalassemia, leukemia, aplastic anemia and hemophilia. Conclusions: The rate of patients with anemia in Thai Binh General Hospital in period of 2004 - 2005 was 14.16% in the total patients treated; among them the rate of anemia in children was high. This problem needs to be interested in children \r\n', u'\r\n', u'
Anemia/ epidemiology

Introduction: When Viet Nam launched the Expanded Programme on Immunization in 1981, it covered six vaccines, including measles. Subsequently, Viet Nam experienced a marked reduction in measles infections. A nationwide measles epidemic occurred in April 2014 and an investigation found that 86% of affected children aged 9 months to 10 years were not fully vaccinated; therefore, understanding the reasons for not vaccinating could improve vaccination coverage. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study to determine vaccination coverage and reasons for non-vaccination among children aged 9 months to 10 years in six districts in Ho Chi Minh City with the highest number of measles cases in 2014. Measles vaccination status of the youngest child in each household was determined and reasons for non-vaccination were investigated. A χ2 test and multiple logistic regression were used to identify independent predictors of full vaccination. Results: In total, 207 children were enrolled during the study period in 2014. Full measles vaccination coverage was 55% in these households, and 73% of parents were aware of the importance of measles vaccination to protect their children. We found that the father’s education level (under high school versus high school and above) and the site where the survey was conducted were significantly associated with vaccination status. Conclusion The vaccination coverage was lower than the coverage reported by district preventive medicine centres of the seven study wards. Lack of the second vaccination was a key obstacle to eliminating the vaccination gap. A catch-up mass vaccination campaign or health promotion of measles vaccination directed towards parents should be considered to improve vaccination coverage.

Objectives.: There is no existing Vietnamese diabetes knowledge questionnaire. This impedes assessment of patient knowledge that will be helpful in providing effective diabetes intervention. We aimed to validate the Vietnamese Translated Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire (DKQ). Methodology: Translation and adaptation strictly followed the guidelines of Beaton et al. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, test-retest reliability was assessed by Fleiss’ Kappa coefficient, and validity value was determined among type 2 diabetes patients in a general hospital. Results: The Vietnamese version of the DKQ had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha for all items = 0.898) and stability (Kappa coefficient >0.600). The average score for all equivalence criteria was 1.00, demonstrating good equivalence to the original. The significant difference between knowledge score and education level (p <0.001) confirmed construct validity. Conclusion Our study provided a reliable Vietnamese version of the DKQ. Future studies may apply the version in different regions in Vietnam to determine external validity.
Southeast Asian People

Objective: The purpose of this survey was to estimate the prevalence of viral load (VL) suppression and emergence of HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) among individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 36 months or longer in Viet Nam using a nationally representative sampling method. Methods: The survey was conducted between May and August 2014 using a two-stage cluster design. Sixteen ART clinics were selected using probability proportional to proxy size sampling, and patients receiving ART for at least 36 months were consecutively enrolled. Epidemiological information and blood specimens were collected for HIV-1 VL and HIVDR testing; HIVDR was defined by the Stanford University HIVDR algorithm. Results: Overall, 365 eligible individuals were recruited with a mean age of 38.2 years; 68.4% were men. The mean time on ART was 75.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 69.0–81.9 months), and 93.7% of the patients were receiving non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based regimens. Of the 365 individuals, 345 (94.7%, 95% CI: 64.1–99.4%) had VL below 1000 copies/mL and 19 (4.6%, 95% CI: 2.8-–7.5) had HIVDR mutations. Discussion Our nationally representative survey found a high level of VL suppression and a low prevalence of HIVDR among individuals who received ART for at least 36 months in Viet Nam. Continued surveillance for HIVDR is important for evaluating and improving HIV programs.