Table 1 Causes and determinants of inequity in maternal and child health in Vietnam

Material Circumstances

▄ iNutritional status [25–28]

▄ No studies found

▄ Childhood nutrition [53]

▄ Childhood nutrition [54]

▄ Distance to health facilities [29, 38]

▄ Need to take off work [51]

Behaviors and Biological Factors

▄ Early childbearing [30]

▄ Women not allowed travelling by themselves [39]

▄ Limited knowledge about contraceptives [31]

▄ Inadequate antibiotics regime due to lack of money [51]

▄ Cultural taboos towards contraceptives and abortion [30, 31]

▄ Women lacking decision making power due to Confucian norms [36, 47, 48, 54]

▄ Less care seeking [51]

▄ No work-cessation before delivery [55]

▄ Preference for home delivery [24, 32–36]

▄ Son preference [45, 46]

▄ Less medication use [51]

▄ Time constraints [31]

▄ Maintenance of traditional health beliefs and rituals [37, 38]

▄ Less antenatal care [55]

▄ Self-medication [60]

▄ Less likely to seek care [13, 39]

▄ Less likely to treat diarrhea with ORS [40]

Psychosocial Factors

▄ Assimilation policies [41]

▄ Domestic violence [31, 49]

▄ No studies found

▄ No studies found

▄ Discrimination [35, 39]

▄ Son preference [48]

Health System Factors

▄ Distance to health facilities [29, 38]

▄ Only male staff at CHCs [35]

▄ No studies found

▄ User fees [56, 60]

▄ Indirect costs [39, 43, 56]

▄ Low level of cultural competence among health staff [43]

▄ Lack of privacy [50]

▄ No health insurance [62]

▄ Language barriers [35, 42]

▄ Discriminatory behaviour [20, 31, 39]

▄ Less covered by health insurance [44]

▄ Less contacts within the health system [38]