Self-reported chronic diseases and associated sociodemographic status and lifestyle risk factors among rural Vietnamese adults

Aims: The fact that chronic diseases are leading causes of mortality and morbidity in hospitals in Vietnam was certified by yearly statistical information. However, population-based knowledge of chronic diseases is still largely lacking. This article examines the prevalence of major chronic diseases and their relationships with sociodemographic status and selected lifestyle risk factors among the adult population in a rural community in the north of Vietnam. Methods: A representative sample comprising 2500 adults aged 25-74 years was surveyed in 2005 using a structured questionnaire. Both descriptive and analytical statistical analyses were applied. Results: Thirty-nine per cent of the respondents had at least one of the studied chronic diseases. The prevalence of current smoking was 59% among men and 0.7% among women. The prevalence of at-risk alcohol drinking was 67% among men and 3% among women. Increasing age, low education and doing other jobs (small traders, temporary workers, housekeepers, handicraft makers and jobless), as well as tobacco use and at-risk alcohol drinking, were found to be associated with a higher probability of having at least one chronic disease of interest. Economic status was found to be inversely correlated with the probability of having at least one chronic disease among women only. Conclusions: The findings from this study indicated that chronic conditions and lifestyle risk factors were very common among the adult population in rural Vietnam. There is an association between chronic diseases and lower socioeconomic status and unhealthy lifestyle risk factors.