title: Causes and determinants of inequity in maternal and child health in Vietnam.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Inequities in health are a major challenge for health care planners and policymakers globally. In Vietnam, rapid societal development presents a considerable risk for disadvantaged populations to be left behind. The aim of this review is to map the known causes and determinants of inequity in maternal and child health in Vietnam in order to promote policy action.
  
  
  METHODS
  A review was performed through systematic searches of Pubmed and Proquest and manual searches of "grey literature." A thematic content analysis guided by the conceptual framework suggested by the Commission on Social Determinants of Health was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than thirty different causes and determinants of inequity in maternal and child health were identified. Some determinants worth highlighting were the influence of informal fees and the many testimonies of discrimination and negative attitudes from health staff towards women in general and ethnic minorities in particular. Research gaps were identified, such as a lack of studies investigating the influence of education on health care utilization, informal costs of care, and how psychosocial factors mediate inequity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The evidence of corruption and discrimination as mediators of health inequity in Vietnam calls for attention and indicates a need for more structural interventions such as better governance and anti-discriminatory laws. More research is needed in order to fully understand the pathways of inequities in health in Vietnam and suggest areas for intervention for policy action to reach disadvantaged populations.
authors.affiliation: International Maternal and Child Health (IMCH), Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Akademiska sjukhuset, Uppsala, SE-751 85, Sweden. mats.malqvist@kbh.uu.se
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Målqvist
authors.forename: Dinh Thi Phuong
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Hoa
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thomsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005249:Fees and Charges; D005260:Female; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008430:Maternal-Child Health Centers / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014744:Vietnam / Q000453:epidemiology