BackgroundAs 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.MethodsAn 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.ResultsAmong 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).ConclusionsThis 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.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women all over the world, also in Vietnam. In recent years, the incidence of breast cancer has been increasing in Vietnam, and most cases are diagnosed at late stages, making treatment more difficult. More and better early detection could help more women to survive. The aim of this study was to identify the current knowledge, attitude and practice about early detection of breast cancer as well as potential predictors of breast cancer screening among women aged 20 to 49 year in a mountainous commune in Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, in a largely ethnic Muong population. Women aged 20 to 49 years were selected by systematic random sampling to participate in a cross sectional study in October 2017. They were interviewed with a closed questionnaire about their knowledge of breast cancer, its risk factors, and warning signs. A checklist for performance of breast self-examination was also applied. Three hundred six women agreed to participate in the study. More than half had a low level of knowledge, and were weak in attitude and practice about breast self-examination, clinical breast examination, breast ultrasound, and mamography. Among women who had practiced at least 1 screening method, 17.0% mentioned clinical breast examination, and only 13.8% reported practicing breast self-examination. Factors associated with practice included knowledge about breast cancer early detection (BCED), ethnicity, income, the BCED information approach, and the BCED screening programs approach. The finding of a very low proportion of women in the mountainous setting with good awareness and practice on early detection of breast cancer is important evidence to inform the BCED intervention program developers about where and how to target which information, especially to reach more ethnic minority women.

The purpose of this article is to systematically collate effort-reward imbalance (ERI) rates among health workers internationally and to assess gender differences. The effort-reward (ER) ratio ranges quite widely from 0.47 up to 1.32 and the ERI rate from 3.5% to 80.7%. Many studies suggested that health workers contribute more than they are rewarded, especially in Japan, Vietnam, Greece, and Germany-with ERI rates of 57.1%, 32.3%, 80.7%, and 22.8% to 27.6%, respectively. Institutions can utilize systems such as the new appraisal and reward system, which is based on performance rather than the traditional system, seniority, which creates a more competitive working climate and generates insecurity. Additionally, an increased workload and short stay patients are realities for workers in a health care environment, while the structure of human resources for health care remains inadequate. Gender differences within the ER ratio can be explained by the continued impact of traditional gender roles on attitudes and motivations that place more pressure to succeed for men rather than for women. This systematic review provides some valued evidence for public health strategies to improve the ER balance among health workers in general as well as between genders in particular. An innovative approach for managing human resources for health care is necessary to motivate and value contributions made by health workers.

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