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Rural and urban Vietnamese mothers utilization of healthcare resources for children under 6 years with pneumonia and associated symptoms

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Abstract

Worldwide, pneumonia causes 14% of deaths among children and infants (ages 4 weeks to 5 years). UNICEF and WHO have established treatment guidelines to reduce risk of death from pneumonia including caregiver symptom recognition, appropriate care, and use of antibiotics. In June 2008, cross-sectional survey data were collected in Khanh Hoa Province Viet Nam with 329 mothers of children under 6 years. In relation to pneumonia and associated symptoms (fever >38°C, strong cough, “fast or difficult” breathing), data were collected on perceptions of symptom severity and child vulnerability, reported healthcare utilization including use of antibiotics, sources of health information, and barriers to care. Pearson’s chi square, independent t tests, and multinomial analysis were conducted to assess different patterns of reported healthcare utilization in relation to residency (rural/urban), mother’s education, and household income. Outcomes include rural and urban residency-based patterns related to perceptions of child’s vulnerability and symptom severity, health facility utilization and barriers to care, and reported use of antibiotics during previous episodes of pneumonia. Implications include the need to target different healthcare facilities in urban and rural Viet Nam in relation to education about symptoms of childhood pneumonia and associated treatments.

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Acknowledgments

The research presented in this paper was funded through PneumoADIP and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The International Vaccine Institute is supported by the governments of the Kuwait, Republic of Korea, and Sweden. We would like to thank our research staff at Khanh Hoa Provincial Health Services, the staff at the commune centers in Nha Trang City and Ninh Hoa who provided recruiting assistance, and the residents who participated in this survey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Prevention Research Center, The Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University, Hutzel Building, Suite W534, 4707 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA

    Linda M. Kaljee

  2. National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Ha Noi, Viet Nam

    Dang Duc Anh

  3. Khanh Hoa Provincial Health Services, Nha Trang, Viet Nam

    Truong Tan Minh & Le Huu Tho

  4. International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea

    Nyambat Batmunkh & Paul E. Kilgore

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  1. Linda M. Kaljee
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  2. Dang Duc Anh
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  3. Truong Tan Minh
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  4. Le Huu Tho
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  5. Nyambat Batmunkh
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  6. Paul E. Kilgore
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Correspondence to Linda M. Kaljee.

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Kaljee, L.M., Anh, D.D., Minh, T.T. et al. Rural and urban Vietnamese mothers utilization of healthcare resources for children under 6 years with pneumonia and associated symptoms. J Behav Med 34, 254–267 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-010-9305-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-010-9305-5

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