Determinants Related to the Utilization of Voluntary Counselling and HIV Testing Service in Vietnam

• Main Authors: Nguyen Hai Thuong, Shafi Ullah Bhuiyan, Sutham Nanthamongkolchai
• Other Authors: Mahidol University. ASEAN Institute for Health Development
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Utilization; Voluntary Counselling and HIV tesing; Vietnam; การใช้บริการ; อาสาสมัคร; ที่ปรึกษา; การแนะแนว; การตรวจเลือด; เวียดนาม; Open Access article; Journal of Public Health and Development; วารสารสาธารณสุขและการพัฒนา
• Online Access: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/1592
• Institution: Mahidol University

This cross sectional research used data of the Leadership Investment in the Fighting against Epidemic - Global AIDS Program (LIFE - GAP) project in 2004. The objective of the study was to describe the socio-demographic and physical factors, risk behaviors of clients and their sex-partners, infbrmation sources which affect utilization of the Voluntary Counselling and HIV Testing (VCT) service. 1200 clients who had obtained service from selected VCT sites in2004 were chosen by random stratified sampling from 20816 clients of 40 provinces in Vietnam. Chi-Square test was used for analysis at 0.05 confldent interval. Most (88. 1 7%) clients had completed the VCT process. '7 5.5Yo of clients were younger than 3 5. The greater parl (53 .42%) of clients was manied or lived with sex-partn ers. 12.92o/o of clients had college or higher education. Almost (79.33o/o) of clients were living in urban areas. Some clients had STD symptom (1692%) and TB symptom (7 .58%).59.7 5% of clients had admitted some high risk behaviors such as being CSW, IDU. Many (59.25o/o) clients had sex-partners who had high risk behaviors. 5633% of VCT clients had received information about the service from mass-media. The study revealed that there were associations of following variables with utilization of VCT service: marital status; residence; health problems related to HIV infection such as TB, STD; risk behaviors of client's sex-partners; and intbrmation sources of VCT service (P-value < 0.05). Based on the above findings, health supporters should have a more important role in term of transfer clients to VCT site by building a larger nefwork of hospitals, HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs, social unions, NGOs and local community. VCT programs should be conducted not only in urban areas but also in rural areas.