Micronutrient Deficits Are Still Public Health Issues among Women and Young Children in Vietnam

Background: The 2000 Vietnamese National Nutrition Survey showed that the population’s dietary intake had improved since 1987. However, inequalities were found in food consumption between socioeconomic groups. As no national data exist on the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies, a survey was conducted in 2010 to assess the micronutrient status of randomly selected 1526 women of reproductive age and 586 children aged 6–75 mo. Principal Findings: In women, according to international thresholds, prevalence of zinc deficiency (ZnD, 67.262.6%) and vitamin B12 deficiency (11.761.7%) represented public health problems, whereas prevalence of anemia (11.661.0%) and iron deficiency (ID, 13.761.1%) were considered low, and folate (,3%) and vitamin A (VAD,,2%) deficiencies were considered negligible. However, many women had marginal folate (25.1%) and vitamin A status (13.6%). Moreover, overweight (BMI$23 kg/m 2 for Asian population) or underweight occurred in 20 % of women respectively highlighting the double burden of malnutrition. In children, a similar pattern was observed for ZnD (51.963.5%), anemia (9.161.4%) and ID (12.961.5%) whereas prevalence of marginal vitamin A status was also high (47.362.2%). There was a significant effect of age on anemia and ID prevalence, with the youngest age group (6–17 mo) having the highest risk for anemia, ID, ZnD and marginal vitamin A status as compared to other groups. Moreover, the poorest groups of population had a higher risk for zinc, anemia and ID

Culture, knowledge and risks : insights from rural Vietnam

An understanding of risk attitudes is vital to assess economic behaviors, decision-making and economic outcomes. Therefore, studies on risk attitudes provide insights into social protection policies aiming at the disadvantaged groups particularly in low-income countries. However, debate continues on an effective measure of risk attitudes and on the relationship between risk attitudes and economic wellbeing. Particularly, challenges arise from widely diverse populations with respect to cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. A large and growing body of literature has investigated the relationship between risk attitudes and economic welfare. However, the results of those studies were far from a consensus ranging from an insignificant to a significant negative or positive correlation. Additionally, knowledge including both formal education and subjective knowledge plays an important role in economic decision-making and economic outcomes. Moreover, risk-taking enhances the learning process and technology adoption that subsequently improve livelihoods. Therefore, it is critical to evaluate the interrelation between knowledge and risk attitudes in economic behaviors, decision-making and economic outcomes. Furthermore, many studies have highlighted the role of cultural factors in human behaviors and attitudes including that towards risks. Therefore, understanding of the variation of risk attitudes across different cultural groups could shed light on the linkage between culture and economic development, poverty and inequality. A multiethnic population of rural Vietnam serves as an interesting sample to investigate the involvement of cultural factors in the aforementioned issues. More specifically, Vietnam has 53 ethnic minority groups that mostly concentrate in rural and remote areas are more likely to experience chronic poverty. The economic gap between ethnic minorities and the ethnic majority (Kinh) is increasing despite the remarkable success in economic growth of that country in the recent decades. Empirical evidence attributed the existing ethnic gap in Vietnam to the difference in endowments or to the returns to endowments across groups. However, little is known about whether risk attitudes that differ across ethnic groups could contribute to a deeper understanding of why the efforts towards poverty alleviation are likely to be less effective among ethnic minorities. The primary objective of this thesis is to measure attitudes towards risks and examine the relationship between risk attitudes and decision-making and economic welfare among a multiethnic population of rural Vietnam. It is also to understand farmers’ knowledge and relations among risk attitudes, knowledge and economic outcomes. The first specific objective is to evaluate the survey-based measure of risk attitudes. This survey question is expected to capture the intrinsic or the most general individual attitudes towards risks. By applying it on heterogeneous subjects, this research aims to explore the important predicting factors of risk attitudes among cultural and socioeconomic variables. The second objective seeks for evidence of a complex relationship between risk attitudes and economic welfare among multiethnic communities. The third objective is to examine the relations between farmers’ risk attitudes, knowledge, management ability and agricultural productivity. Data used to explore the objectives are sourced from the long-term socioeconomic panel household survey conducted in Vietnam and Thailand (TVSEP) since 2007 in three provinces of each country. In this thesis, the data from two provinces in the Central Vietnam, namely Dak Lak and Thua Thien Hue (Hue) are used. Additionally, the thesis is based on data collected by a special survey particularly conducted with the households in Hue province in 2014 and 2015. The first essay documents the validity of a survey question to measure risk attitudes that is assessed by its significant correlations with the individual and household characteristics and by its power to predict outcomes of a risk experiment. Multivariate analysis method is applied using Interval regression, Ordered Probit and OLS regression models under various specifications. The robust results confirm that the individual risk attitudes measured by a survey question can be significantly explained by the individual characteristics such as height, education and ethnicity. The results remain consistent when controlling for further socioeconomic backgrounds. This study documents significant difference in risk attitudes between the ethnic majority and the ethnic minority. Furthermore, the survey-based measure consistently predicts risky behaviors and its predictive power remains consistent across models and specifications. The results confirm that the survey-based item is effective to measure risk attitudes of a multiethnic community The second essay introduces an exploration into the relationship between economic welfare and risk attitudes in the presence of socioeconomic and cultural diversity of different ethnic groups. The results indicate differences in both risk attitudes and economic welfare between the ethnic majority and the ethnic minorities. Furthermore, the willingness to take risks significantly diverges among the ethnic minorities, although they are economically homogenous. Empirically, in the first step, a quadratic form of risk attitudes is added to test whether there is a non-linear relationship between risk attitudes and economic welfare when analyzing a mixed sample of the ethnic minority groups. The results from a fixed effects model and a correlated random effects model, namely Hausman -Taylor confirms a U-shaped relationship between risk-taking and economic welfare with a switch from negative to positive when the willingness to take risk reaches a certain threshold on the eleven-point Likert scale. In the second step, a positive and mutual relationship between risk-taking and economic welfare among the ethnic majority is tested by employing a simultaneous estimation using the Three Stage Least Square method. The results show that an increase in the willingness to take risks by one point associates with an increase in economic welfare by about 7%. The third essay presents an examination of the relationships among farmers’ risk attitudes, knowledge, decision-making skills and agricultural performance. Risk attitudes are measured by alternative methods and farmers’ knowledge is scored by using a set of two-choice questions and farmers’ subjective knowledge is measured by using five point Likert scale, separately for crop and livestock production. Farmers’ decision-making skill is tested by using decision games separately for crop and livestock. Indicators of agricultural performance are calculated from the average outcomes of the main agricultural activities such as crop and livestock production using data from a long panel survey. The results show that farmers’ performance has significant correlation with their subjective knowledge, albeit unlikely with technical knowledge. Farmers received limited support from the extension institutions and tend to be risk-averse. Compared with crop production, farmers have better knowledge livestock and they performed better in the decision game in respect to livestock production. This thesis contributes to scientific literature that can be useful for policy-making in different ways. Firstly, the findings strengthen the strand of studies that uses a survey question to measure individual risk attitudes by applying this measure on culturally diverse and low-educated agents. Secondly, the thesis emphasizes the role of cultural factors characterized by ethnicity in the variation of risk attitudes and economic welfare. It sheds light on the controversial mixed results of the relationship between risk attitudes and economic welfare in literature. The results document the driving force of cultural factors in risk attitudes and the association among risk attitudes, decision-making and economic welfare. Thirdly, the results indicate a large variation in farmers’ knowledge and a strong tendency of risk aversion among the target sample of farmers. Agricultural productivity is more likely related to subjective knowledge rather than to technical knowledge and ability. A need to improve farmers’ technical knowledge and management skills is suggested to enhance agricultural productivity. Additionally, the thesis suggests social protection policies to consider risk-taking, particularly when targeting different small ethnic groups and less knowledgeable farmers. Fourthly, the focal methodological contribution is that the thesis introduces new approaches to examine the complex relationship between risk attitudes and economic welfare, particularly in the context of multiethnic populations. Finally, the thesis introduces the involvement of cultural factors in altering risk attitudes and its relationship with economic welfare. Thus, it provides insights into complex effects of cultural factors and the divergence of risky behaviors and knowledge on economic development and inequality

Do cultural factors alter the relationship between risk attitudes and economic welfare?

This paper analyzes how cultural factors shape risk attitudes and subsequently alter its relationship with economic welfare. The research sample is comprised by a three wave balanced panel data set of 588 ethnically diverse households collected between 2008 and 2013 in the Central Vietnam. Different ethnic groups are characterized by different languages, customs and beliefs that create the cultural diversity of the sample. Different approaches are used to examine the relationship between risk attitudes and economic welfare in the presence of the cultural diversity. First, a single-equation estimation method using a fixed effects model and a Hausman-Taylor model is employed to examine the unidirectional relationship. Second, a simultaneous equation estimation method using the Three Stage Least Squares model is applied to explore a bidirectional relationship between risk attitudes and economic welfare. Among the ethnic minorities, results indicate a negative association between willingness to take risks and economic welfare at low degree but a positive at the higher degree of risk-taking. For the ethnic majority, a positive and mutual relationship between risk attitudes and economic welfare is indicated. The ethnic majority is economically better-off than their minority counterparts are, whereas the minorities are economically homogenous but strongly diverse in risk attitudes and social factors. This study sheds light on the cultural heterogeneity in the individual risk attitudes as well as in shaping its relationship with economic welfare. Generally, it is suggested to consider sociocultural factors via risk-taking channel in socioeconomic policies that target ethnically or culturally diverse populations. Particularly, that implies a need to encourage the risk-taking strategies among the extremely risk-averse individuals, particularly who belong to the ethnic minorities

Risk attitudes, knowledge, skills and agricultural productivity

Agriculture is a risky business contingent on risks and uncertainty. Without strong technical knowledge, farmers tend to rely heavily on heuristics and subjective judgments to deal with their daily business. It is crucial to understand farmers’ practices to provide suitable supports. This study uses a rich data set from a long panel household survey to assess farmers’ agricultural productivity in Hue province of Vietnam that we combine with data collected from special surveys conducted in 2014 and 2015 focusing on farmers’ knowledge, skills and risk attitudes. It aims to provide an overview of the environment in which farmers do business under constraints. Particularly, we investigate the relations among risk attitudes, farmers’ knowledge, management ability and agricultural productivity by using univariate and bivariate analyses. The results indicate a large variation in farmers’ knowledge. Most of them have low degree of technical knowledge, but show higher subjective knowledge. Agricultural performance tends to be more dependent on subjective knowledge than technical knowledge. Accordingly, farmers received limited support from the extension institutions. While risk attitudes are significantly correlated with farmers’ knowledge and decision-making ability in livestock production, it has no direct significant relation with agricultural performance. The previous outcome showed that livestock productivity is prone to fluctuation, risk-taking should be important for farmers to cope with shocks. This study suggests extension services to fill the gap between subjective knowledge and technical knowledge and to build a significant linkage between risk-taking and learning to improve farmers’ abilities and consequently enhance agricultural productivity

Experimentally validated general risk attitude among different ethnic groups in Vietnam

In this paper, we compare experimentally measured individual risk attitudes and survey-based risk items for rural households in the province of Dak Lak in Southern Vietnam. In particular, we test whether the survey-based measure can be validated by a risk experiment among different ethnic groups. Albeit we find that ethnic minorities are on average more risk averse than the ethnic majority, our results show similar correlations between risk attitudes and socio-economic characteristics among the two ethnic groups. Testing the explanatory power of the survey-based risk item shows the validity of this measure among different ethnic groups. Our findings have potentially important implications. First, the survey-based item is effective to measure risk attitudes of a multiethnic community. Second, our findings also suggest that the assumption of a "self-reinforcing culture of poverty" which is often attributed to minority group of Vietnam should be challenged in the light of these results

The Role of p.Ser1105Ser (in <i>NPHS1</i> Gene) and p.Arg548Leu (in <i>PLCE1</i> Gene) with Disease Status of Vietnamese Patients with Congenital Nephrotic Syndrome: Benign or Pathogenic?

Background and Objectives: Congenital nephrotic syndrome (CNS), a genetic disease caused by mutations in genes on autosomes, usually occurs in the first three months after birth. A number of genetic mutations in genes, which encode for the components of the glomerular filtration barrier have been identified. We investigated mutations in NPHS1, NPHS2, PLCE1 (NPHS3), and WT1 genes that relate to the disease in Vietnamese patients. Materials and Methods: We performed genetic analysis of two unrelated patients, who were diagnosed with CNS in the Vietnam National Children&#8217;s Hospital with different disease status. The entire coding region and adjacent splice sites of these genes were amplified and sequenced using the Sanger method. The sequencing data were analyzed and compared with the NPHS1, NPHS2, PLCE1, and WT1 gene sequences published in Ensembl (ENSG00000161270, ENSG00000116218, ENSG00000138193, and ENSG00000184937, respectively) using BioEdit software to detect mutations. Results: We detected a new variant p.Ser607Arg and two other (p.Glu117Lys and p.Ser1105Ser) in the NPHS1 gene, as well as two variants (p.Arg548Leu, p.Pro1575Arg) in the PLCE1 gene. No mutations were detected in the NPHS2 and WT1 genes. Patient 1, who presented a heterozygous genotype of p.Ser1105Ser and p.Arg548Leu had a mild disease status but patient 2, who presented a homozygous genotype of these alleles, had a severe phenotype. Conclusions: These results suggest that variants p.Ser1105Ser (in NPHS1 gene) and p.Arg548Leu (in PLCE1 gene) in the homozygous form might play a role in the development of the disease in patients

Effect of silver nanoparticles on water quality and phytoplankton communities in fresh waterbody

This study aims to investigate the potential effects of environmental variables and the toxicity of nanosilver colloids synthesized by chemical reduction method on growth and development of phytoplankton community (the Microcystis genus dominance) in the eutrophication Tien lake water, Hanoi city, Vietnam. The variables analyzed including: physical (pH and Turbidity), chemical (content of NH4 +, PO4 3- and silver metal), biological (content of Chlorophyll-a, cell density). The characteristic of nanomaterial was confirmed by using UV-visible spectrophotometer, TEM and HR-TEM methods. The obtained silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) showed that their spherical form and uniform size varied from 10 to 15 nm. The experimental results showed that the samples treated with AgNPs inhibition on growth against M. aeruginosa at concentration 1 mg/l after 8 days. The content of silver in aquarium water decreased from 1 mg/l (D0) to 0.8 mg/l (D8). The contents of chlorophyll-a of phytoplankton community, including Microcystis genus in samples exposed with AgNPs were declined from 11.27 ± 0.56μg/L (D0) to 1.98 ± 0.37 μg/L (D8) . The environmental variables such as: pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, ammonium, phosphate...in the experiment were below the limit of the Vietnam Standard 08:2015/MONRE for surface water quality.Mục đích của nghiên cứu này là khảo sát ảnh hưởng của vật liệu nano bạc tổng hợp bằng phương pháp khử hóa học đến sinh trưởng và phát triển của quần xã thực vật nổi (chủ yếu là chi Microcystis) trong nước hồ Tiền phú dưỡng, tại Hà Nội, Việt Nam. Các thông số phân tích bao gồm: thủy lý (pH và độ đục), hóa học (hàm lượng amoni, photphat và hàm lượng bạc kim loại), sinh học (hàm lượng chất diệp lục, mật độ tế bào). Đặc trưng của vật liệu được xác định bằng các phương pháp quang phổ UV-VIS, TEM và HR-TEM. Vật liệu nano bạc có dạng hình cầu, kích thước đồng nhất trong khoảng 10-15nm. Kết quả thử nghiệm sau 8 ngày cho thấy các mẫu có bổ sung vật liệu nano bạc ức chế sinh trưởng đối với vi khuẩn lam M. aeruginosa ở nồng độ 1mg/l. Hàm lượng bạc kim loại giảm từ 1 mg/l (ngày đầu tiên) xuống còn 0.8 mg/l (vào ngày cuối cùng). Sinh khối thực vật nổi trong đó có chi Microcystis trong mẫu xử lý với AgNPs đã giảm tương ứng từ 11.27 ± 0.56 μg/L (ngày đầu tiên, D0) xuống 1.98 ± 0.37 μg/L (ngày cuối cùng, D8). Các thông số môi trường của nước hồ đều nằm dưới giới hạn cho phép của QCVN 08:2015/BTNMT đối với chất lượng nước mặt

Consumers’ risk perception of vegetables in Southeast Asia: Evidence from Laos, Cambodia, and Viet Nam

Vegetable safety is a public concern in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam—developing countries in Southeast Asia. Eliminating this concern requires insight into factors shaping it. Food risk perception might differ among countries due to the dissimilarities in culture, social, and economic conditions. However, an understanding on this difference is lacking in Southeast Asia. This paper is the first attempt to compare factors influencing risk perception of vegetables in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Principle component analysis and ordered logit regression were employed on a sample of 1,199 consumers from the three countries. We found trust and perception of hazards influenced risk perception across countries. Gender shaped risk perception in Laos and Vietnam. The importance of vegetables and risk information determined risk perception in Vietnam only, while hazard knowledge and homegrown vegetables were predictors of risk perception solely in Cambodia. Since Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam are inhomogeneous in risk perception, policy measures to address food risk perception should be tailored to each country

The Distribution of Dengue Virus Serotype in Quang Nam Province (Vietnam) during the Outbreak in 2018

Objectives: Quang Nam province in the Centre of Vietnam has faced an outbreak of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) in 2018. Although DHF is a recurrent disease in this area, no epidemiological and microbiological reports on dengue virus serotypes have been conducted mainly due to lack of facilities for such a kind of advanced surveillance. The aim of this study was to detect different dengue virus serotypes in patients&rsquo; blood samples. Design and Methods: Suspected cases living in Quang Nam province (Vietnam) and presenting clinical and hematological signs of dengue hemorrhagic fever were included in the study. The screening was performed, and the results were compared by using two methodologies: RT real-time PCR (RT-rPCR) and the Dengue NS1 rapid test. Results: From December 2018 to February 2019, looking both at RT-rPCR [+] and NS1 [+] methodologies, a total of 488 patients were screened and 336 were positive for dengue virus detection (74 children and 262 adults); 273 of these patients (81.3%) underwent viral serotype identification as follows: 12.82% (35/273) D1 serotype, 17.95% (49/273) D2, 0.37% (1/273) D3, 68.50 (187/283) D4, and 0.37% (1/273) D2+D4 serotypes. The RT-rPCR outcomes showed higher sensitivity during the first three days of infection compared to NS1 (92.3% vs. 89.7%). The NS1 increased sensitivity after the first 3 days whilst the RT-rPCR decreased. Conclusions: Advanced surveillance with dengue virus serotypes identification, if performed routinely, may help to predict and prevent further DHF epidemics based on the exposure of the different serotypes during different periods that lead to the intensification of disease severity as a consequence of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE)