Self-reported Communicable Diseases and Associated Socio-demographic Status Among Ethnic Minority Populations in Vietnam

Abstract

Introduction This study was conducted to identify the self-reported communicable diseases (CDs) rate and associated factors among ethnic minority populations in Vietnam. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of 6912 ethnic minority participants from 12 provinces located in four socioeconomic regions in Vietnam. A total of 4985 participants were included in the final analysis. We used a structured questionnaire to collect information on self-reported CDs and socio-demographic information. Results The results showed that the prevalence of self-reported CDs was 5.7% (95% CI: 5.0–6.4%). Ethnicity was shown to have an independently significant correlation to self-reported CDs. The Cham Ninh Thuan, Tay, Dao and Gie Trieng ethnic populations had significantly higher odds of self-reported CDs than those of La Hu ethnicity (OR = 47.1, 6.3, 5.6, and 6.5, respectively). Older people and males had significantly higher odds of having CDs than younger and females. Conclusion Our findings recommend conducting ethnic-specific interventions to diminish the incidence of CDs.

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights for ethnic minority girls in Vietnam

“…While evidence about the health and wellbeing of the Tay is limited, population level reports over the last 5 years have shown that there are considerable inequities in access to health services ( WHO, 2019 ; General Statistics Office and UNICEF, 2021 ), with poor health outcomes similar across ethnic groups ( Malqvist et al , 2013 ; Hoang et al ., 2018 ; Le and Yu, 2021 ). In relation to the reproductive health of adolescent girls, national level data specifically mentioned high rates of induced abortion in Tay-headed households ( General Statistics Office and UNICEF, 2021 ), with studies reporting that Tay girls’ experience stigma related to sexuality and have a limited understanding of how to manage their fertility ( Lee and Yu, 2021 ), and married Tay women report that they do not use contraception because their husbands do not agree ( Luu et al , 2023 ).…”