We sought to evaluate the adherence of Vietnamese adults to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) preventive measures, and gain insight into the effects of the epidemic on the daily lives of Vietnamese people. An online questionnaire was administered from March 31 to April 6, 2020. The questionnaire assessed personal preventive behavior (such as physical distancing, wearing a face mask, cough etiquette, regular handwashing and using an alcohol hand sanitizer, body temperature check, and disinfecting mobile phones) and community preventive behavior (such as avoiding meetings, large gatherings, going to the market, avoiding travel in a vehicle/bus with more than 10 persons, and not traveling outside of the local area during the lockdown). A total adherence score was calculated by summing the scores of the 9 personal and the 11 community prevention questions. In total, 2175 respondents completed the questionnaire; mean age: 31.4 ± 10.7; (range: 18-69); 66.9% were women; 54.2% were health professionals and 22.8% were medical students. The mean adherence scores for personal and community preventive measures were 7.23 ± 1.63 (range 1-9) and 9.57 ± 1.12 (range 1-11), respectively. Perceived adaptation of the community to lockdown (Beta (β) = 2.64, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.25-4.03), fears/worries concerning one's health (β = 2.87, 95% CI 0.04-5.70), residing in large cities (β = 19.40, 95% CI 13.78-25.03), access to official COVID-19 information sources (β = 16.45, 95% CI 6.82-26.08), and working in healthcare/medical students (β = 22.53, 95% CI 16.00-29.07) were associated with a higher adherence score to anti-COVID instructions. In conclusion, this study confirmed a high degree of adherence to personal and community preventive behavior among Vietnamese people. Our findings are consistent with the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Vietnam, where there have been few infections and no recorded deaths up to the first week of July 2020.

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The aim was to evaluate susceptibility of oropharyngeal contamination with various bronchoscopic sampling techniques.67 patients with obstructive lung disease and 58 control subjects underwent bronchoscopy with small-volume lavage (SVL) through the working channel, protected bronchoalveolar lavage (PBAL) and bilateral protected specimen brush (PSB) sampling. Subjects also provided an oral wash (OW) sample, and negative control samples were gathered for each bronchoscopy procedure. DNA encoding bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA was sequenced and bioinformatically processed to cluster into operational taxonomic units (OTU), assign taxonomy and obtain measures of diversity.The proportion of Proteobacteria increased, whereas Firmicutes diminished in the order OW, SVL, PBAL, PSB (p<0.01). The alpha-diversity decreased in the same order (p<0.01). Also, beta-diversity varied by sampling method (p<0.01), and visualisation of principal coordinates analyses indicated that differences in diversity were smaller between OW and SVL and OW and PBAL samples than for OW and the PSB samples. The order of sampling (left versus right first) did not influence alpha- or beta-diversity for PSB samples.Studies of the airway microbiota need to address the potential for oropharyngeal contamination, and protected sampling might represent an acceptable measure to minimise this problem.

IntroductionPostpartum depression (PPD) among women is a common mental health concern. It occurs at a time of major life change, coupled with the increased responsibilities associated with the care of a newborn infant. In Vietnam, the prevalence of depressive symptoms after giving birth has not been fully investigated. Research in the Northern provinces, in Ho Chi Minh City, and in Hue suggests postnatal depressive symptoms among women are common. This research aims to (1) estimate the prevalence of PPD symptoms among married women in one Vietnam city (Danang) and (2) identify the social and personal factors associated with postpartum depressive symptoms.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2013 to August 2014 in 10 wards of Hai Chau District, Danang. A total of 600 mothers who gave birth 4 weeks to 6 months prior to being interviewed were recruited. Interviews were conducted using structured questionnaires, which included several dimensions: demographics, family living arrangements, expectations of pregnancy, expectations of infant gender, the woman’s relationship with her husband, exercise after birth, infant health, and anxiety about matters other than the birth. The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to examine PPD symptoms, with a cutoff point of 12/13.ResultsEPDS scores indicated the prevalence of PPD symptoms was 19.3% (95% CI: 16.16–22.50). Among women with PPD symptoms, 37.9% had suicidal thoughts in the previous seven days. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that the following key factors were significantly associated with PPD symptoms: Not being able to rely on their husband for help, having a husband who does not spend time to discuss problems, having anxiety about matters other than the birth, not exercising after giving birth, and having an ill baby.ConclusionThese findings should be interpreted in relation to other recent research in Vietnam. A consistent pattern of prevalence estimates and associated social factors is emerging that has implications for the postpartum care of mothers.

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictive measures implemented may considerably affect people’s lives. This study aimed to assess the well-being of Vietnamese people after COVID-19 lockdown measures were lifted and life gradually returned to normal. An online survey was organized from 21 to 25 April 2020 among Vietnamese residents aged 18 and over. The survey was launched by the Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy. The WHO-5 Well-Being Index (scored 0–25) was used to score participants’ well-being. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine the predictors of well-being. A total of 1922 responses were analyzed (mean age: 31 years; 30.5% male; 88.2% health professionals or students in the health sector). The mean well-being score was 17.35 ± 4.97. Determinants of a high well-being score (≥13) included older age, eating healthy food, practicing physical exercise, working from home, and adhering to the COVID-19 preventive measures. Female participants, persons worried about their relatives’ health, and smokers were more likely to have a low well-being score. In conclusion, after the lockdown measures were lifted, the Vietnamese have people continued to follow COVID-19 preventive measures, and most of them scored high on the well-being scale. Waiting to achieve large-scale COVID-19 vaccine coverage, promoting preventive COVID-19 measures remains important, together with strategies to guarantee the well-being of the Vietnamese people.

The authors examined the relationship between parent-reported estimates of children's exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in the home and children's urinary cotinine levels. Data were collected from a largely ethnic minority, low-income, urban sample of households in which a child had asthma and at least 1 household member smoked. Information about level of household smoking restriction, parental smoking status, and number of cigarettes smoked per day accounted for approximately 45% of the variance in cotinine concentration. Detailed information about the duration of household smoking or children's ETS exposure added no additional significant information. Questionnaires eliciting detailed information about smoking habits and children's ETS exposure may be no better at predicting children's urinary cotinine levels than simpler surveys that inquire about smoking restrictions in the home, parental smoking status, and number of cigarettes smoked at home per day.

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An online cross-sectional survey using a “snowball” sampling method was carried out to assess the adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures among dental care workers (DCWs) during the pandemic. Six questions concerning the COVID-19 preventive guidelines issued by the Vietnam Ministry of Health were used to evaluate DCWs’ adherence to preventive measures at dental care clinics. The quality of life of DCWs was assessed using the WHO-5 questionnaire and was defined as low if the total score was less than 13 points. Factors relating to adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures of DCWs were determined by multivariate linear regression analysis. In total, 514 DCWs completed the questionnaire. A total of 37% DCWs rated their quality of life as low. Regression analysis suggested that older age, a better quality of life, living in an urban area, and training on COVID-19 prevention were associated with better adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures, while being a dentist and lack of personal protective equipment was associated with less adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures. The pandemic had a significant negative impact on the physical and mental health of DCWs. Therefore, specific national guidelines for the prevention and control of the spread of COVID-19 in dental facilities should be issued.