Current Gaps in the Control of Cardiovascular Disease in Vietnam: A Systematic Review of Vietnamese-based Studies

• Published in: Journal of health management Vol. 26; no. 2; pp. 342 - 350
• Main Authors: Dao, An Thi Minh, Van Nguyen, Huy, Nguyen, Hoa L., Allison, Jeroan J., Le, Tung Duc, Bui, Ngoc Hong, Nguyen, Huong Thi Thu, Nguyen, Phuong The, Le, Phuong Mai, Van Nguyen, Tien, Chiriboga, Germán, Goldberg, Robert J., Nguyen, Hien Tran
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Delhi, India SAGE Publications 01-04-2024
• Subjects: non-communicable diseases; Cardiovascular disease; risk factors; Vietnam; systematic review
• ISSN: 0972-0634; 0973-0729
• DOI: 10.1177/09720634241229265

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among all non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Vietnam. The objectives of the present study were to analyse contemporary gaps in CVD control studies, which were published in Vietnam between 2013 and 2017. A systematic literature review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses. Research articles written in English or Vietnamese, published between 2013 and 2017, and focused on the four main WHO themes of CVD control were identified. Among 11,385 Vietnamese-based CVD studies published during this period, only 119 studies (1.0%) were relevant to public health CVD control outcomes, and only 17 of 20 CVD indicators were addressed in these studies. Most studies were published in Vietnamese journals (73.9%), focused on disease and intermediate risk factors (73.9%), were cross-sectional (84.8%) and hospital-based (54.6%). We observed a lack of studies, many of which suffered design and analysis limitations, focused on several WHO themes for effective CVD control. Future Vietnamese-based CVD control studies should focus on the WHO-recommended themes and health indicators in broader community settings to provide better data to inform effective public health policies to control CVD.