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MA/PhD Theses Abstracts of Current Students & Alumni |
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Scoggin, Angela E. August, 1993 - PARENTAL HEALTH SEEKING BEHAVIOR AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES IN AN URBAN CHINESE SETTING
Abstract This case study analyzes health policy and its effects on parents' health seeking behavior. It is based on fieldwork conducted in Suzhou, People's Republic of China from October 1988 to June 1989. Placement at the Affiliated Children's Hospital was the result of an academic exchange program between the University of South Florida and Suzhou Medical College. Data were obtained through observation and interviewing. Key informant interviews were conducted with physicians, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of infants. As the health of urban Chinese children has improved, child health services have become more focused on non-life threatening conditions, such as specific nutritional deficiencies. These changing health priorities, along with the one-child policy and increasing co-operation with international agencies such as WHO and UNICEF, have facilitated increased interest in child development. A changing political situation has allowed less emphasis on a political view of child development and a view more within the western medical and psychological realms. Results provide an example of the interplay between policy and culture in affecting how parents provide infant care. The data illustrate Kleinman's model of individuals' use of health sectors, by demonstrating how parents in urban one-child families combine their use of professional services and traditional health promoting practices in caring for their infants. LeVine's model of parental behavior explains how traditional customs and the acceptance of scientific medical advice are used as adaptive strategies in promoting infant health and development.
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