Gong, Sarah Q;
(2025)
Health Communication in China.
In: Cao, Qing and Anthony, Fung, (eds.)
Routledge Resources Online: Chinese Studies.
Routledge
![[thumbnail of Gong_Health Communication in China_chapter_AAM.pdf]](https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/style/images/fileicons/text.png) |
Text
Gong_Health Communication in China_chapter_AAM.pdf Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 31 October 2026. Download (372kB) |
Abstract
The development of the field of health communication commenced in China in the late 1980s and went through several phases of expansion under the direction of the Chinese government. This article traces the trajectory of the development of the field in relation to it policy application, discipline establishment, and research publication. The early stage of health communication research in China was dominated by public health topics and approaches. Journalism, media, and communications researchers entered in health communication scholarship much later, notably after the outbreak of SARS in 2003. Since then, health communication research conducted by media and communications researchers flourished in 2000s and 2010s. Journalism/communication and public health remained two main distinct research areas within health communication. In the 2000s, increasing publications have appeared in English in international journals, raising the visibility of health communication research in China. However, the research tends to be practice oriented and driven by public health events such as SARS, food safety incidents, H7N9, and COVID-19. Furthermore, theoretical development and methodological innovations remains weak for this nascent field. Future health communication research and practice in China should critically engage with Western theories for theory building in relation to its own local context and unique issues. It should also enhance its methodological rigour and adopt more critical and participatory research with the aim of reducing health inequality across society. Last but not least, further interdisciplinary collaboration is needed for knowledge advancement.
| Type: | Book chapter |
|---|---|
| Title: | Health Communication in China |
| DOI: | 10.4324/9780367565152-RECHS124-1 |
| Publisher version: | https://www.taylorfrancis.com/entries/10.4324/9780... |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | China, Culture-centred approach, Health China, Health communication, Policy, Publication, Research |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Culture, Communication and Media |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10208363 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
