title: Changes and socioeconomic factors associated with attitudes towards domestic violence among Vietnamese women aged 15-49: findings from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, 2006-2011.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Understanding factors associated with domestic violence-supportive attitudes among Vietnamese women is important for designing effective policies to prevent this behavior. Previous studies have largely overlooked risk factors associated with domestic violence-supportive attitudes by women in Vietnam.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This paper explores and identifies socioeconomic factors that contribute to domestic violence-supportive attitudes among Vietnamese women using data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Secondary data from two cross-sectional studies (MICS 3, 2006, and MICS 4, 2011) with representative samples (9,471 and 11,663 women, respectively) in Vietnam were analyzed. The prevalence of supportive attitudes toward domestic violence and associations with age, residence region, area, education level, household wealth index, ethnicity, and marital status were estimated using descriptive statistics and multivariate Poisson models, giving estimates of relative risk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, the prevalence of acceptance of domestic violence declined between 2006 and 2011 in Vietnam (65.1% vs. 36.1%). Socioeconomic factors associated with women's condoning of domestic violence were age, wealth, education level, and living area. In particular, younger age and low educational attainment were key factors associated with violence-supportive attitudes, and these associations have become stronger over time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher educational attainment in women is an important predictor of women's attitudes toward domestic violence. To date, Doi Moi and the Vietnamese government's commitment to the Millennium Development Goals may have positively contributed to lowering the acceptance of domestic violence. Tailored interventions that focus on education will be important in further changing attitudes toward domestic violence.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; oanhtrinh66@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Oanh Thi Hoang
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Trinh
authors.affiliation: JW LEE Center for Global Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; oh328@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Juhwan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: JW LEE Center for Global Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sugy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Kien Gia
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: To
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Dung
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Van Do
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014744:Vietnam; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Vietnamese; attitudes; intimate partner violence; prevalence; socioeconomic factors