title: Changes and inequalities in early birth registration and childhood care and education in Vietnam: findings from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, 2006 and 2011.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Early birth registration, childhood care, and education are essential rights for children and are important for their development and education. This study investigates changes and socioeconomic inequalities in early birth registration and indicators of care and education in children aged under 5 years in Vietnam.
  
  
  METHODS
  The analyses reported here used data from the Vietnam Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) in 2006 and 2011. The sample sizes in 2006 and 2011 were 2,680 and 3,678 for children under 5 years of age. Four indicators of childcare and preschool education were measured: birth registration, possession of books, preschool education attendance, and parental support for early childhood education. The concentration index (CI) was used to measure inequalities in gender, maternal education, geographical area, place of residence, ethnicity, and household wealth.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were some improvements in birth registration (86.4% in 2006; 93.8% in 2011), preschool education attendance (57.1% in 2006; 71.9% in 2011), and parental support for early childhood education (68.9 and 76.8%, respectively). However, the possession of books was lower (24.7% in 2006; 19.6% in 2011) and became more unequal over time (i.e. CI=0.370 in 2006; CI=0.443 in 2011 in wealth inequality). Inequalities in the care and education of children were still persistent. The largest inequalities were for household wealth and rural versus urban areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although there have been some improvements in this area, inequalities still exist. Policy efforts in Vietnam should be directed towards closing the gap between different socioeconomic groups for the care and education of children under 5 years old.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Education and Center for Health System Research, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam; kimbaogiang@hmu.edu.vn.
authors.forename: Kim Bao
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Giang
authors.affiliation: JW LEE Center for Global Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea; oh328@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Juhwan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Center for Population Health Sciences, Hanoi School of Public Health, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Vu Duy
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Kien
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Luu Ngoc
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Hoat
authors.affiliation: JW LEE Center for Global Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sugy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: JW LEE Center for Global Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Chul Ou
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Center for Population Health Sciences, Hanoi School of Public Health, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Hoang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Van Minh
mesh_terms: D001719:Birth Certificates / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D002654:Child Care; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012578:Schools, Nursery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014744:Vietnam
keywords: birth record; childhood care; childhood education; inequality; school admission