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2 "Thanh Gia Nguyen"
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Beyond Medical Bills: High Prevalence of Financial Toxicity and Diverse Management Strategies Among Vietnamese Patients With Cancer
Binh Thang Tran, Thanh Gia Nguyen, Dinh Duong Le, Minh Tu Nguyen, Nhan P. T. Nguyen, Minh Hanh Nguyen, The Due Ong
J Prev Med Public Health. 2024;57(4):407-419.   Published online June 24, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.24.090
  • 1,542 View
  • 195 Download
AbstractAbstract AbstractSummary PDFSupplementary Material
Objectives
This study was conducted to measure financial toxicity (FT) among patients with cancer in Vietnam using the COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity (COST) and to describe the cost management strategies employed by these patients.
Methods
This comprehensive cross-sectional study enrolled 634 patients from 2 specialized oncology hospitals in Vietnam. Using COST cut-off scores, FT was classified as none/mild (≥26), moderate (14-25), or severe (≤13). Cost management strategies, or coping mechanisms, were classified into 4 groups: lifestyle changes, financial resource strategies, treatment modifications, and support seeking.
Results
The prevalence of FT was 91.8%, with 51.7% of participants demonstrating severe and 40.1% exhibiting moderate FT. Severe FT was significantly associated with female, low education level, unstable employment, low household economic status, and advanced cancer stage. The most common coping strategies were as follows: among lifestyle changes, reducing spending on basic items and leisure activities (78.7%) and cutting back on essential household expenses (66.4%); among financial resource strategies, borrowing money from relatives or friends (49.1%) and withdrawing funds from retirement or savings accounts (34.1%); within treatment modifications, switching treatment facilities or doctors due to cost concerns (9.3%); and within support seeking, obtaining help from welfare or community organizations (18.8%). All strategies were significantly more likely to be used by patients with severe FT.
Conclusions
FT was highly prevalent among patients with cancer. Most patients relied on lifestyle adjustments and coping strategies, underscoring the need for improved financial support systems to alleviate the economic burden associated with cancer care.
Summary
Key Message
- This first large-scale analysis looks into the financial toxicity faced by patients with cancer in Vietnam, as an example of low- and middle-income countries.
- Financial toxicity was remarkably high prevalent and strongly associated with patient- level factors.
- Patients experiencing financial toxicity tend to use various cost-coping strategies.
- These findings underscore the need for routine screening for financial toxicity risk and interventions.
Validation of the Disaster Adaptation and Resilience Scale for Vulnerable Communities in Vietnam’s Coastal Regions
Thanh Gia Nguyen, Binh Thang Tran, Minh Tu Nguyen, Dinh Duong Le
J Prev Med Public Health. 2024;57(3):279-287.   Published online April 25, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.24.110
  • 3,805 View
  • 253 Download
  • 1 Web of Science
  • 1 Crossref
AbstractAbstract AbstractSummary PDFSupplementary Material
Objectives
This study validated the Vietnamese version of the Disaster Adaptation and Resilience Scale (DARS) for use in vulnerable communities in Vietnam.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional study involving 595 adults from 2 identified communities. The original DARS assessment tool was translated, and the validity and reliability of the Vietnamese version of DARS (V-DARS) were assessed. The internal consistency of the overall scale and its subscales was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega reliability coefficients. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to evaluate its construct validity, building upon the factor structure identified in exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Construct validity was assessed based on convergent and discriminant validity.
Results
Following the established criteria for EFA, 8 items were removed, resulting in a refined V-DARS structure comprising 35 items distributed across 5 distinct factors. Both alpha and omega reliability coefficients indicated strong internal consistency for the overall scale (α=0.963, ω=0.963) and for each of the 5 sub-scales (all>0.80). The CFA model also retained the 5-factor structure with 35 items. The model fit indices showed acceptable values (RMSEA: 0.072; CFI: 0.912; TLI: 0.904; chi-square test: <0.01). Additionally, the convergent and discriminant validity of the V-DARS were deemed appropriate and satisfactory for explaining the measurement structure.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that the V-DARS is a valid and reliable scale for use within vulnerable communities in Vietnam to assess adaptive responses to natural disasters. It may also be considered for use in other populations.
Summary
Key Message
The current study is one of the few that addresses the need to develop valid and reliable tools for disaster adaptation and resilience, particularly in the poorest and most vulnerable communities affected by natural events. These findings provide evidence supporting the development of community-based interventions for disaster preparedness and response.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  
  • Enhancing gender-responsive resilience: The critical role of women in disaster risk reduction in Oman
    Suliman Abdalla, Elnazir Ramadan, Wafa Al Mamari
    Progress in Disaster Science.2024; 24: 100376.     CrossRef

JPMPH : Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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