Most Vietnamese ignore periodic medical check-up: survey An officer has a medical check-up at a hospital in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. Tuoi Tre The majority of Vietnamese people ignore having a periodic medical check-up with the subjective idea of “feeling no symptoms of disease and therefore no need to go for it.” However, the rate is different amongst two main groups of people – blue-collar workers and white-collar workers, according to a small survey conducted by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on 80 employees in Ho Chi Minh City. 61.5 percent of respondents said that they would not go for a check-up without feeling like they have abnormal symptoms or feel sick. Of the 40 blue-collar workers polled in the survey, only 23 percent said they have physical check-ups every three to six months while 40 percent said they have never had one and are not planning one in the future. Most of them replied that “it is not necessary to have a medical check-up without feeling abnormal symptoms or disease.” Of the other group of 40 white-collar workers, 58 percent said they do it regularly, often once a year. In general, people have five reasons not to have regular medical check-ups. Fifty-five percent of the office workers and 68 percent of the blue-collar workers said they do not have regular medical checkups because they “feel no disease.” Eighteen percent of white-collar workers and 28 percent of the blue-collar workers cited “having no time” as a reason. Eight percent of the office workers and 15 percent of the blue-collar workers said it was because they were afraid of living with the knowledge that they may have a certain disease. Ten percent of the white-collar workers and eight percent of the blue-collar workers ‘excused’ it for long distance. And finally, none of the office workers and 20 percent of the blue-collar workers cited the cost as the reason for them not having a regular check-up. TUOI TRE