Search

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a complex global problem that is rooted in sociopolitical and cultural values, attitudes, and behaviors. GBV in Vietnam is a pervasive problem with 58% of ever-married women having experienced at least one form of violence (physical, sexual, or emotional) in their lifetime. In recent years Vietnam has addressed GBV issues via regulations and policies. Despite the existence of such laws, the execution, enforcement and support of these laws are another story. To the best of our knowledge, there is no study about the experience of GBV service providers who work directly with GBV victims in Vietnam. This exploratory study utilized Grounded Theory to examine the in-depth experiences of 11 Vietnamese GBV service providers who work with diverse populations, such as school-aged and college students, women and girls, and the LGBTQ+ community. Five major themes emerged, which include: (1) cultural factors influencing GBV in Vietnam, (2) diversity in GBV services and progress made, (3) challenges in providing GBV services, (4) impacts on the service providers and self-care issues, and (5) moving forward and breaking "the vicious cycle." Practical and policy implications of the findings are discussed. Limitations of the study and future recommendations are also addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cooperative Extension System serves as the liaison between the public and the university. As our nation continues to diversify and globalize, it is critical that as liaisons, Extension Educators have the skills to communicate cross-culturally in their respective communities. Developing intercultural competence is imperative to successfully communicate and operate in evolving American communities shaped by diversity. The objective of this study was to describe the change in educator intercultural development during an embedded study abroad program to Vietnam. Five Extension Educators were selected to provide undergraduate students with mentorship throughout a semester-long course with international travel during week 10. Mentors were required to complete pre- and post-assessments, including the Intercultural Development Inventory, while also responding to reflective prompts during the program. As a group, the educators regressed on the intercultural continuum by 8.0 points and remained in the minimization stage. However, educators reported meeting goals, increased personal development, and a positive experience with the program. Future programming should focus on the undergraduate mentor-educator relationship and more deliberate intercultural guidance for educator participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The efficacy of a number of interventions that include fortified complementary foods (FCFs) or other products to improve infant and young child feeding (IYCF) is well established. Programs that provide such products free or at a subsidized price are implemented in many countries around the world. Demonstrating the impact at scale of these programs has been challenging, and rigorous information on coverage and utilization is lacking.Objective: The objective of this article is to review key findings from 11 coverage surveys of IYCF programs distributing or selling FCFs or micronutrient powders in 5 countries.Methods: Programs were implemented in Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. Surveys were implemented at different stages of program implementation between 2013 and 2015. The Fortification Assessment Coverage Toolkit (FACT) was developed to assess 3 levels of coverage (message: awareness of the product; contact: use of the product ≥1 time; and effective: regular use aligned with program-specific goals), as well as barriers and factors that facilitate coverage. Analyses included the coverage estimates, as well as an assessment of equity of coverage between the poor and nonpoor, and between those with poor and adequate child feeding practices.Results: Coverage varied greatly between countries and program models. Message coverage ranged from 29.0% to 99.7%, contact coverage from 22.6% to 94.4%, and effective coverage from 0.8% to 88.3%. Beyond creating awareness, programs that achieved high coverage were those with effective mechanisms in place to overcome barriers for both supply and demand.Conclusions: Variability in coverage was likely due to the program design, delivery model, quality of implementation, and product type. Measuring program coverage and understanding its determinants is essential for program improvement and to estimate the potential for impact of programs at scale. Use of the FACT can help overcome this evidence gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue 2 (DEN 2) virus strains collected from dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) patients and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Thailand, Burma, and Vietnam over a 25-year period have been analyzed by computer assisted T1-RNase-resistant oligonucleotide fingerprinting. Fifty-seven DEN 2 virus strains of the Thailand topotype were separated into four major clusters by phylogenetic analysis of 97 unique oligonucleotides identified in a common well-resolved region of the fingerprints. Similarities in the 57 fingerprints indicated that DEN 2 virus of a single, continually evolving genetic population has been involved in endemic transmission of the disease. Virus isolates from DHF cases and mosquitoes are genetically very similar, indicating that different genetic topotypes are not selectively the cause of severe DEN disease in Thailand. Microevolution of the DEN 2 virus genome from 1962-1986 was gradual with detectable changes in the pattern of oligonucleotides through time. Segregation of the DEN 2 virus fingerprints into the three decades (1960s, 1970s, and 1980s) revealed the rate of genetic change to be one consensus oligonucleotide per year. Based on average association coefficient (Sab) values between the consensus fingerprints for each decade, the similarity between the consensus fingerprints decreased by 1.4% per year. Genetic variation during each of the three decades was found to be essentially the same (0.866 +/- 0.053). Constancy in the microevolutionary rate and genetic variability suggests that a balance of genetic drift and natural selection acting on the viral population did not significantly change throughout the 25-year period.