Rural and urban Vietnamese mothers utilization of healthcare resources for children under 6 years with pneumonia and associated symptoms

Worldwide, pneumonia causes 14% of deaths among children and infants (ages 4 weeks to 5 years). UNICEF and WHO have established treatment guidelines to reduce risk of death from pneumonia including caregiver symptom recognition, appropriate care, and use of antibiotics. In June 2008, cross-sectional survey data were collected in Khanh Hoa Province Viet Nam with 329 mothers of children under 6 years. In relation to pneumonia and associated symptoms (fever >38°C, strong cough, “fast or difficult” breathing), data were collected on perceptions of symptom severity and child vulnerability, reported healthcare utilization including use of antibiotics, sources of health information, and barriers to care. Pearson’s chi square, independent t tests, and multinomial analysis were conducted to assess different patterns of reported healthcare utilization in relation to residency (rural/urban), mother’s education, and household income. Outcomes include rural and urban residency-based patterns related to perceptions of child’s vulnerability and symptom severity, health facility utilization and barriers to care, and reported use of antibiotics during previous episodes of pneumonia. Implications include the need to target different healthcare facilities in urban and rural Viet Nam in relation to education about symptoms of childhood pneumonia and associated treatments.