Background Autism spectrum disorders are increasing worldwide and in Vietnam. This study reports the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders and examines their relation to selected socio-demographic factors among children aged 18 and 30 months in three northern cities/provinces in Vietnam, 2017. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 17,277 children aged 18 and 30 months one city (Hanoi capital) and two provinces in northern Vietnam. The multi-stage sampling technique was applied in this study. We used M-CHAT to screen children with high risk of ASD. M-CHAT positive cases were diagnosed by pediatric neurologists from National Pediatrics Hospital using DSM-IV criteria. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed. Results The overall prevalence of ASD among children aged 18 and 30 months in the three studied sites was 0.752% (95% CI 0.629–0.893%). The odds of having ASD were statistically significant higher among (a) children living in urban area as compared to those from rural settings (OR = 2.7, 95% CI 1.73–4.21); (b) boys as compared to girls (OR = 4.04, 95% CI 2.57–6.35); and (c) children of mothers who worked as farmers as compared to children of mothers who were government staff (OR = 4.72, 95% CI 2.03–10.97). Conclusions Our study revealed that the prevalence of ASD among children in Vietnam seems to be increasing. The significant correlates of ASD among the children were urban setting, male gender and mother’s occupation (farmer). Further and more in-depth studies on determinants of ASD are needed to provide insights into the problem.

Self-treatment is particularly prevalent in Vietnam. However, the prevalence of this practice among the working population is unclear. This study aims to describe the prevalence of self-treatment and related factors among workers aged 15 to 60 years in the suburban area of Chi Linh, Hai Duong, Vietnam. Secondary data of 3128 respondents was retrieved from the CHILILAB HDSS 2016 survey for analysis using logistic regression with a significance level of .05. Results show that 47.5% of respondents treated themselves at least once during one previous year. While rural residence and the presence of acute health symptoms and chronic diseases significantly associate with the choice of self-treatment among all investigated workers, lower education level and health insurance status only significantly relate to this practice among the formally employed workers. The findings imply the need for specific measures to manage self-treatment practices among different groups of workers.

The objective of study: The research aimed to discrible results and the advantage – disadvantages of the Project 4 - Food Safety that wer under the Health - Population Program during 2016 – 2020. Study design: A cross-sectional, combining quantitative and qualitative study was conducted. Study sites: in 7 provinces / cities, from October 2019 to August 2020. Study subjects: the project activity reports and the staff of the Project 4 - Food Safety. Results: The results showed that 8 indicators of the project have been completed according to the goals, 2 indicators are expected to be completed after the end of the project. In which, 100% of provinces/cities had ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory for food safety and pilot food safety-model markets. The incidence rate of food poisoning ranged from 1.82 to 4.92 per 100,000 people. The main limitations during project implementation were the lack of human resources, funding and overlap in state management assignments for food safety at the local goverment levels. Conclussion: The Project 4 - Food Safety basically achieved the setting targets. Keywords: Food safety, Health – Population programe, food safety management