We conducted this cross-sectional study among 392 Japanese and 294 Vietnamese mothers who attended routine child health visits in a Japanese city and at a tertiary hospital in Vietnam, in order to investigate the prevalence and associated sociodemographic, parenting, and psychological characteristics of low maternal confidence in child rearing among them. All data were collected from medical files in Japan, and from medical files and self-administered questionnaires in Vietnam. The proportion of mothers without secure feeling of confidence in the present study was 22% in Japan and 66% in Vietnam. Significant factors associated with a lack of confidence were first-time motherhood and unintended pregnancy in the Japanese dataset and younger age in the Vietnamese dataset. In both groups, a higher proportion of mothers who lacked confidence reported negative parenting outcomes than did confident mothers. Among the three psychological measurements (mood, self-efficacy and depression), higher self-efficacy was associated independently with a significantly reduced risk of not having confidence in child rearing. These results suggest the importance of developing parenting support programs to help Japanese and Vietnamese mothers, particularly those who are young, first-time mothers or who became pregnant unexpectedly, improve their self-efficacy.

A case-control study was conducted between July and August 2001 in Ho Chi Minh City to investigate factors associated with having induced abortions among primigravid women aged 16 to 38 years. Interviews were conducted with 87 women undergoing abortion (cases) and 81 pregnant women coming for antenatal care (controls). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that older age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.84) and being married (OR = 0.05) decreased the risk of getting unintended pregnancy leading to abortion. Risk factors of obtaining an abortion were not being exposed to family planning promotion on television (OR = 2.28) and not knowing the adverse effects of abortion (OR = 10.26). Descriptive analysis of contraceptive behavior showed that 41% of cases had never used contraceptives and the reason for non-usage was lack of knowledge of any type of contraceptives in 43% of the cases. Additionally, only 24% of cases had discussed about family planning with their partners. Effective contraceptive methods should be promoted among young population, both females and males, and they need to be informed of the consequences of abortion. Television programs might be an effective mode of providing the information.

Parenting practices are known to vary across different sociocultural settings, but there has been little scientific research conducted on parenting intervention in Asia to date. Building on our past research achievements that show a strong need for parenting support, we conducted a pilot trial of systematic screening of Vietnamese mothers with poor mental health and the provision of a group‐based parenting program, along with staff training sessions at a university‐affiliated general hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Forty‐seven first‐time mothers attending routine child health checkups were screened using a brief mental health and parenting assessment tool that we had developed and used previously. We then evaluated a group‐based parenting program provided for two consecutive days to nine participants. The framework of the Canadian Nobody's Perfect Program, which we had previously adopted and evaluated in a Japanese public health service setting, was used to develop a Vietnamese version. The screening and program were found to be well accepted by both participants and staff and are considered to be feasible for use by public hospital services in Vietnam. The process of program adaptation described and discussed herein may be useful to other health professionals in the Asia‐Pacific region undertaking similar initiatives.