Service users' attributes associated with the uptake of medical versus surgical abortion at public health facilities in Vietnam.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the attributes of service users associated with uptake of medical abortion (MA) versus manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) at public health facilities in Vietnam.


METHODS
Structured exit interviews were conducted among women who underwent termination at 62 public health facilities in Hanoi, Khanh Hoa, and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) between August and December 2011. Data on sociodemographic, abortion-related, and service-related factors were compared between women who underwent MVA versus MA.


RESULTS
Overall, 1233 women completed the study survey: 541 (43.9%) from Hanoi; 163 (13.2%) from Khanh Hoa; and 529 (42.9%) from HCMC. Almost one-quarter of women (23.1%) had chosen MA. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, women living in Khanh Hoa (odds ratio [OR], 13.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.3-33.8) and HCMC (OR, 5.8; 95% CI, 2.1-15.9) were more likely to have undergone MA than women in Hanoi. Older women were less likely to have undergone MA (P < 0.05), and those who had previously heard of MA were twice as likely to have undergone MA (P = 0.020).


CONCLUSIONS
Uptake of MA was lower than that of MVA and varied by province. Women in Vietnam will make their own judgment about which method to choose if they have prior knowledge of both.
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Team, Health System Department, Marie Stopes International, London, UK. Electronic address: thoai.ngo@mariestopes.org.
Thoai D
TD
Ngo
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Caroline
C
Free
Department of Environmental Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Hoan T
HT
Le
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Phil
P
Edwards
Department of Health Economics, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Kiet H T
KH
Pham
Department of Health Economics, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Yen B T
YB
Nguyen
Research and Metrics Team, Marie Stopes International Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Thang H
TH
Nguyen
D000019:Abortifacient Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006268:Health Facilities; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D014619:Vacuum Curettage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014744:Vietnam; D055815:Young Adult
D000019:Abortifacient Agents
Manual vacuum aspiration; Medical abortion; Mifepristone; Misoprostol; Service users; Vietnam