Birth weight and delivery practice in a Vietnamese rural district during 12 year of rapid economic development

Abstract

BackgroundSince the Doi Moi reform 1986 economic conditions in Vietnam have changed significantly and positive health and health care developments have been observed. International experience shows that improved economic conditions in a country can reduce the risk of perinatal mortality, decrease the risk of low birth weight and increase the mean birth weight in newborns. The Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (HDSS) FilaBavi in Bavi district outside Hanoi city has been operational since 1999. An open cohort of more than 12,000 households (52,000 persons) has been followed primarily with respect to demography, economy and education. The aim of this research is to study trends in birth weight as well as birth and delivery practices over the time period 1999–2010 in FilaBavi in relation to the social and economic development.MethodsInformation about birth weight, sex, place and method of delivery, mother’s age and education as well as household economy of 10,114 children, born from 1999 to 2010, was obtained from the routine data collection in the HDSS.ResultsOver the study period the mean birth weight remained at the same level, about 3,100 g, in spite of increased economic resources and technology development. At the individual child level we found associations between birth weight and household economy as well as the education of the mother. Hospital delivery increased from about 35% to 65% and the use of Caesarian section increased from 2.6% to 10.1%.ConclusionDuring the twelve years studied, household income as well as the use of modern technology increased rapidly. In spite of that, the mean and variation of birth weight did not change systematically. It is suggested that increasing gaps in economic conditions and misallocation of resources, possibly to overuse of technology, are partly responsible.

A Secular Trend in Birth Weight and Delivery Practices in Periurban Vietnam During 2005-2012

“…16 We found that the use of Cesarean section increased in our periurban settings along with economic growth and availability of services. This is in accordance with the results from previous studies in urban areas in Vietnam 10,17 and other Asian countries. Vietnam is the country with the second highest Cesarean section rate in Asia.…”

“…Our findings, however, show that the overall mean birth weight had been stable over the years in spite of a rather drastic economic development in the study areas. This finding agrees with one recent longitudinal survey in a rural district in Hanoi 10 but disagrees with other previous studies in Vietnam, and other countries, which report a significant increase in the mean birth weight over time with economy growth. 11,12 Notably, this result is consistent with a report in the United States where the mean birth weight also decreased from 1990 to 2005.…”

‘Women think pregnancy management means obstetric ultrasound’: Vietnamese obstetricians’ views on the use of ultrasound during pregnancy

“…There are indications that sex-ratio imbalance has grown in many South Asian, Central Asian, and East Asian countries in the recent decades as a result of preference for the male child and sex selection ( 26 ). A trend towards increasing imbalance in SRB ( 13 ) from the biological value of 105 has been documented in Vietnam since the year 2000 ( 13 – 15 ), reaching 110.6 at the 2009 census ( 13 ). An elevated SRB was also demonstrated in the Quang Ninh province in northern Vietnam during the years 2008–2011, with large differences in SRB depending on both place and mode of delivery ( 16 ).…”

Socio-demographic factors of cesarean births in Nha Trang city, Vietnam: a community-based survey

“…This finding likely stems from the enactment of the one-or-two child policy in Vietnam in the late 1980s [ 17 , 19 ]. Another two population studies [ 20 , 21 ] conducted in urban and suburban areas of Hanoi also reported a difference in the CS rate between male and female children. Hence, these authors concluded that high income and differences in the CS rates between the sexes might be related to requests made for CS without medical needs [ 16 , 17 ].…”