Coverage Of China Research Articles

PPSV-23 recommendation and vaccination coverage in China: a cross-sectional survey among healthcare workers, older adults and chronic disease patients

Background : 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV-23) is crucial to protecting high-risk groups. This study aimed to investigate the influencing factors of PPSV-23 recommendation among healthcare workers, and PPSV-23 coverage among Chinese older adults and chronic disease patients. Research design and methods : In 2019, a cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in ten provinces in China among older adults aged ≥65 years, chronic disease patients aged 18–64 years, and primary healthcare workers. Multiple logistic regression model was adopted to identify the influencing factors of PPSV-23 recommendation and vaccination uptake. Results : Of the 1138 healthcare workers, 46.75% often recommended PPSV-23 to target groups, and public health workers were more likely to recommend than general practitioners. PPSV-23 vaccination rate was 3.29% among chronic disease patients aged <65 years, 6.69% among older adults without chronic disease(s), and 8.87% among chronic disease patients aged ≥65 years. Multiple logistic regression revealed that only general practitioners’ recommendation was associated with increased PPSV-23 coverage (p < 0.05). Conclusions : The findings highlighted the suboptimal PPSV-23 coverage rate in China and the strong association between healthcare workers’ recommendation and residents’ vaccination uptake. Targeted and coherent PPSV-23-related training is suggested for general practitioners to encourage effective health promotion in clinical practices.

Welfare developmentalism with interactive central–local relations: Understanding the recent expansion in pension coverage in China

AbstractThis study presents an analytical framework integrating welfare developmentalism and interactive central–local relations to understand the underlying dynamics of the dramatic pension coverage expansion in China in the last decade. We empirically test the research hypotheses based on the analytical framework using data from the Chinese General Social Survey 2008–2017. The results show that various individual and institutional factors, including demographic profiles, socio‐economic status, institutional contexts, and regional economic development, are significant predictors of pension participation. Regions with more local capacity have higher pension participation rates; however, there has been a trend towards regional convergence in China's pension coverage expansion since 2012. This study contributes to the literature on the social policymaking process by revealing how the forces of top‐down pressure from the centre and bottom‐up motivations derived from the local conditions are embedded into the conceptual framework of welfare developmentalism. Our findings imply that the implementation of an inclusive pension scheme requires careful policy design and coordination among regions to address the interests of different parties.

The changing image of China abroad as constructed by the Turkish mainstream media--Analysis of the Hürriyet coverage in China based on 2019 and 2021

National image is an important part of national "soft power"[1], and studying China's image abroad is of great practical significance to enhance and improve China's image, among which international public opinion is a direct factor affecting China's image abroad [2]. Located at the crossroads of Eurasia, Turkey's unique geopolitical situation has created a special position as a major power wrestling for power and discourse [3], which has a unique and important role in reflecting international public opinion and studying the country's image abroad. At present, most domestic studies focus on Western English-language media, but less on Turkish media. In this context, this paper will study the changes and reasons for China's image abroad from the perspective of the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet through word frequency analysis, and analyze the current situation of the construction of China's image abroad in Turkey.

Vegetation restoration dominated the variation of water use efficiency in China

Implementation of numerous ecological restoration programs over the last two decades has significantly increased vegetation coverage in China. However, the response of the coupled carbon and water cycles to the large-scale vegetation restoration and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study analyzed the spatiotemporal patterns of regional gross primary productivity (GPP), evapotranspiration (ET) and water use efficiency (WUE) in China using the two-leaf light use efficiency (TL-LUE) and the Priestley Taylor Jet Propulsion Laboratory (PT-JPL) models during the 2000–2017 period. The influencing mechanisms of anthropogenic re-vegetation and climatic factors on regional WUE were also analyzed. Results indicate that (1) both the GPP and WUE showed a significant increasing tendency with inter-annual change rates of 10.53 g C m−2 yr−1 and 0.01 g C kg−1 H2O yr−1, respectively; while the inter-annual change rate of annual ET was 1.43 kg H2O m−2 yr−1. (2) Spatially, the regional GPP dominated WUE variation of more than 79.51% of the total area. (3) Among the influencing factors, the greening of vegetation driven by human activities (LAIh) explained 35.27% of the WUE variation in China, much more than the climatic factors over during the study period. At the regional scale, human-driven vegetation greening also dominated the increasing WUE at regional scale. These findings provide important information to support large-scale ecological restoration policy/decision making to improve ecosystem services in China.

The construction of the Chinese image from the perspective of others in the post-truth era——A Frame and Semiotic analysis of BBC’s reports of the Beijing Winter Olympics

News reports are significant for constructing a country’s image in the international community. The frame analysis of Western media coverage of China is quite popular. With the arrival of the Beijing Winter Olympics, which stands as another historical moment in the processing of China’s external image, disputed issues in China have surfaced again in the Western media. In the context of the new media, there still exists a research gap on the new characteristics of Western media when reporting China and the resulting recent changes in China's image. To fill this gap in the literature, based on the semiotic theory and framing theory, this dissertation has selected the 16 reports and their corresponding Twitter comments on the Beijing Winter Olympics which were published by the British news agency BBC in January - February 2022. By utilizing the AntConc to establish corpus and text analysis, it shall investigate from the perspective of others the discourse construction characteristics of Western media and the Chinese image from the three components of communication theme, text content, and audience feedback. The research results have presented that the Western media represented by the BBC cannot eliminate ideological stereotypes in the discourse construction of the "other" (China). The intention of the report is tendentious. Its reporting news frame is based on inherent prejudice and the opinion tendency to incite Public Opinion. Thus, it has resulted in the formation of a Chinese image of “high-pressure coercion” and “ignoring human rights” from the perspective of the other. Therefore, this dissertation adopts China as an example to propose the media cross-cultural international communication strategy of expanding the discourse subject, updating the symbol system and absorbing the folk discourse.

Quantitatively determine the dominant driving factors of the spatial-temporal changes of vegetation-impacts of global change and human activity

Abstract The differences in spatial-temporal distribution patterns and dominant driving factors of vegetation evolution among sub-regions during different historical periods were not clear. Therefore, this study introduced the gravity center model and geodetector to analyze the spatial-temporal change characteristics and dominant driving factors of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in China during 1981–2019 from the perspective of geographic divisions. Results showed that (1) during 1981–2019, the average vegetation coverage in China showed an increasing trend and zones with obviously increasing vegetation NDVI were mainly distributed in the middle reaches of the Yellow River basin and the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. (2) During 1981–2019, the gravity center of national vegetation NDVI was mainly concentrated in Yan’an City and Tongchuan City, showing a southward migration trend as a whole, which indicates that the increment and growth rates of the southern part were greater than those of the northern part. (3) The growth of vegetation in southern China was primarily affected by the temperature, while that of northern China was largely influenced by precipitation. (4) During 1981–2019, the dominant interactive factors of vegetation change for all subregions changed greatly: natural factor (climate or terrain) ∩ other factors → landuse ∩ other factors.

Correlates of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in China

Background Men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV globally and in China. Early antiretroviral therapy (ART) can reduce HIV-related illness, improve quality of life, and decrease HIV incidence rates. Given the high vulnerability of and limited research on ART coverage in China, we describe the ART initiation rate and correlates of ART initiation using Anderson’s health service utilization model. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey and collected blood samples for HIV and HCV testing and CD4 count among MSM recruited in Chengdu and Shanghai, China (N= 1,633). Using stepwise logistic regression, we explored factors associated with ART initiation postulated by Anderson’s health service utilization model. Results More than half of the participants had not started ART (53.5%). Older age and Han ethnicity were associated with a higher probability of ART initiation. Being married, higher monthly income (&gt; US$464.35), retirement, depression, and condomless anal sex predicted a lower probability of ART initiation. Conclusions The ART initiation rate among MSM in this study is lower than the national level of ART coverage among all people living with HIV (PLWH) in China. ART initiation is best predicted by demographic characteristics such as age and ethnicity. Participants who are retired, married, reported depressive symptoms, and sexual risk behavior are less likely to have initiated ART. Future studies could examine whether integrating mental health and sexual health services into the current HIV care continuum is beneficial to ART initiation among MSM. Strategies should be developed to promote ART initiation among certain populations such as young MSM and ethnic minorities in China.

News Sentiment Analysis: The Case of Chinese Vessels in the EEZs of Latin American Countries

This study analyzes how recent fishing disputes involving China and Latin American countries have been reported by local and global media. We conducted content and sentiment analysis of media articles, coding articles according to the sentiment (“positive,” “negative,” or “neutral”) they express toward China and the actions of its fishing fleet, based on the words used to describe the same. We also examined what topics are discussed in different media – issues that are more specific and “local” in nature or broader issues that go beyond specific incidents. According to our findings, Latin American media can be as negative in their reporting on China and Chinese actions as Anglo‐Saxon Western media but tend to focus more on local issues and specific incidents, whereas Anglo‐Saxon Western media are more likely to connect incidents to broader geopolitical issues. Deepening of China‐LAC economic relations have not reduced Latin American media's critical approach toward China. At the same time, the local media remain independent; they do not necessarily reproduce the same frames as global news platforms in their coverage of China. These findings reinforce the idea that LAC broadly does not want to choose sides in the China‐US rivalry.

The role of nurses as human papillomavirus vaccination advocates in China: perception from nursing students

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate nursing students’ perspectives regarding the role of nurses as HPV vaccine advocates and their perception of barriers to advocacy. A cross-sectional study using a Web-based survey was sent out to all undergraduate nursing students enrolled at the Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China. A total of 1,041 students responded to the survey. In total, 58.0% of students expressed an intent to advocate HPV vaccines as a counselor and 56.4% as an HPV information provider in their future practice. However, 33.4% stated that they do not intend to be HPV vaccine advocates. Grade 1 students, students from homes with higher annual household incomes and those with a higher level of knowledge about HPV and HPV vaccination expressed higher intentions to advocate for HPV vaccines as a counselor. Students who have a higher level of knowledge about HPV and HPV vaccination and have received HPV vaccines reported a higher advocacy intent in the provision of HPV information. The main perceived barriers in HPV vaccine advocacy include inadequate training (87.1%) and insufficient HPV-related knowledge (84.8%); also, anxious patients may not feel comfortable with nurses discussing HPV vaccination (52.8%). Nurses are uniquely positioned to nurture patient HPV vaccine acceptance and maybe the key strategy to increase HPV vaccination coverage in China. Institutional support is needed to train nurses as HPV vaccine advocates and should focus on enhancing HPV-related knowledge while destigmatising the embarrassment around discussing HPV-related issues with patients.

Effects of regulatory policy mixes on traceability adoption in wholesale markets: Food safety inspection and information disclosure

The increasingly heavier burden of government spending on food safety supervision is a common problem faced by regulatory agencies in various countries. Traceability is an effective quality and safety management measure and plays an important role in food safety risk control in many developed countries. However, the agricultural product traceability system in wholesale markets has low coverage in China. This article investigates the effects of regulatory policy mixes, i.e., food safety sampling intensity and information disclosure, on vendors’ traceability adoption, theoretically and empirically based on a dataset containing the information of all aquatic product wholesale markets in three provinces of China. The results show that both sampling intensity and information disclosure positively influence the traceability adoption of vendors. However, the effect of food safety sampling intensity on traceability adoption relies on information disclosure. Specifically, an increase of 10 sampling tests enhances the probability that vendors adopt traceability by 4 percentage points in markets with information disclosure. These effects are heterogeneous across vendors with different business scales and with different supply chain distances from farms. The effects are larger for vendors with larger business scales and/or are closer to farms. The above results are robust after the inclusion of the instrumental variable into the models.

Comparison of User-Oriented Information Services on the Websites of Large Hospitals in China and the United States: Cross-sectional Study.

BackgroundMany people use the internet to access health care information to support health care decisions, and hospital websites can be the first point of contact to provide health care information services for consumers. However, little is known about the current information services provided by the websites of large Chinese hospitals.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the information services of the websites of large hospitals in China and the United States. We hope that our findings will benefit hospital managers worldwide in providing service information on the web.MethodsThis study adopted a cross-sectional analytical approach to evaluate the websites of large hospitals in China and the United States in 2020. A total of 300 large hospitals were randomly selected, of which half were in China and half were in the United States. Based on the 7Ps marketing mix, we identified 39 items that represent typical hospital website information services, covering the following seven dimensions: product, price, place, propagation, people, process, and physical evidence.ResultsMost of the items (34/39, 87%) related to information services offered by hospital websites were less covered in China than in the United States; however, 5 items (appointments by a third-party platform, mobile payment, hospital value, hospital environment display, and physicians’ profiles) had higher coverage in China. The average scores for hospital websites in China and the United States were 13.25 (SD 2.99) points and 23.16 (SD 2.76) points, respectively. Generally, high scores were given to the south areas of China and north areas of the United States.ConclusionsHospital websites in China lagged behind those in the United States with regard to information services offered. We recommend that hospital managers in China place more emphasis on the people, product, and propagation dimensions of the 7Ps marketing mix in the construction of information services on hospital websites. Through the comparison of the websites of large hospitals in China and the United States, our study findings can provide suggestions for forming standard hospital website construction guidelines worldwide.

Reflection of India-China Relations in Indian Media: Problems and Perspectives

China and India interactions are dominated by strategic and business concerns. Despite the massive growth of bilateral trade between China and India, tensions over territorial and political issues have also grown, particularly in the last years. These effects are mediated and often inflamed by media depictions and perceptions of these tensions. India and China are both aware that peace and cooperation are essential. But it seems some media are more intent on fanning the flames than focusing on the ties that bind the two ancient civilizations. The media can play a constructive role in promoting mutual understanding. This paper deals with different areas of bilateral competition and convergence covered by the media as well as discusses the key differences between the Indian medias coverage of China and the Chinese medias reporting on India of the last years and especially in 2020. The article proposes to discover the problems and perspectives of the Indian media in India-China relations today.

State as Salesman: International Economic Engagement and Foreign News Coverage in China

ABSTRACT How does an authoritarian regime cover news about foreign countries for its domestic audience? What accounts for the variation in news coverage received by different foreign countries? While existing literature points to political concerns at home, in this article, we argue that a regime’s economic interests can also be a driving force: the desire to deepen its international economic engagement can motivate the regime to treat foreign countries differently in its news coverage. To test this argument, we examine foreign news coverage by China’s state-run television network between 2003 and 2018. Combining textual and quantitative analysis, we find that countries with stronger economic ties with China receive more favorable news coverage. Moreover, the manipulation of coverage favorability is achieved through selective reporting: negative events such as armed conflicts receive less coverage when taking place in a country with close economic ties with China. These findings contribute to our understanding of international news flow, especially in a non-Western setting. They also demonstrate a pragmatic rather than political use of information control by an authoritarian government.

THE DYNAMIC IMAGE OF CHINA PRESENTED IN GERMAN MAINSTREAM MEDIA REPORTS --THE CHINA-RELATED REPORTS OF GERMAN MAINSTREAM MEDIA FROM JANUARY 2020 TO JANUARY 2021 WERE USED AS EXAMPLES

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which began to spread globally in early 2020, has attracted a great deal of attention from global society on the world's politics, economy, public security and global development. The mass media played an important role in promoting it, making international relations and the construction of national images during COVID-19 pandemic an important and urgent issue of national interest in the international political arena. During this period, China also became the ‘centre of public opinion’. As the most inuential country in the European Union, Germany's foreign policy and the China policy under its presidency has attracted a great deal of global attention. While Sino-German cooperation remained at a ‘high level’ during the pandemic, Germany also sought to position itself between the great powers of China and the US. Therefore, the image of China presented by the German mainstream media in their coverage of China during the COVID-19 pandemic, their positions, the constraints behind them, and their development trends are worthy of attention and study by academics. This study attempts to research the generation of Chinese images in the German mainstream media, including both an analysis of "Germany" and a reection on "China", and to investigate what cognitive models and knowledge structures the German mainstream media use in their discourse construction, how they use their discursive power, and what kind of Chinese national image they construct

Ecological Civilization: A Blindspot in Global Media Coverage of China’s Environmental Governance

ABSTRACT China’s frenetic pace of economic development in recent decades has come with significant environmental costs. Confronted by this dire situation, the Chinese government has proposed the concept of ecological civilization as both an aspirational goal for sustainability and a guide to environmental policymaking. Despite this concept’s current centrality in China’s environmental discourse, little is known about how it is covered by media outlets outside China. In this article, we address this research gap by analyzing the framing of ecological civilization in English-language media outside China. Our qualitative discourse analysis reveals three major storylines that define the concept in conflicting ways: (1) ecological civilization as an environmental governance framework, (2) ecological civilization as a misleading propaganda ploy, and (3) ecological civilization as an eco-socialist blueprint. In light of these findings, we conclude by highlighting the potential of ecological civilization for advancing global conversations about transcending capitalism.

Minimizing the Risk of Catastrophic Health Expenditure in China: A Multi-Dimensional Analysis of Vulnerable Groups.

Background: In moving toward universal health coverage in China, it is crucial to identify which populations should be prioritized for which interventions rather than blindly increasing welfare packages or capital investments. We identify the characteristics of vulnerable groups from multiple perspectives through estimating catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) and recommend intervention priorities.Methods: Data were from National Health Service Survey conducted in 2003, 2008, and 2013. According to the recommendation of WHO, this study adopted 40% as the CHE threshold. A binary regression was used to identify the determinants of CHE occurrence; a probit model was used to obtain CHE standardized incidence under the characteristics of single and two dimensions in 2013.Results: The total incidence of CHE in 2013 was 13.9%, which shows a general trend of growth from 2003 to 2013. Families in western and central regions and rural areas were more at risk. Factors related to social demography show that households with a female or an unmarried head of household or with a low socioeconomic status were more likely to experience CHE. Households with older adults aged 60 and above had 1,524 times higher likelihood of experiencing CHE. Among the health insurance schemes, the participants covered by the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme had the highest risk compared with the participants of all basic health insurance schemes. Households with several members seeking outpatient, inpatient care or with non-communicable diseases were more likely to experience CHE. Households with members not seeing a doctor or hospitalized despite the need for it were more likely to experience CHE. Characteristics such as a household head with characteristics related to low socioeconomic status, having more than two hospitalized family members, ranked high. Meanwhile, the combination of having illiterate household heads and with being covered by other health insurance plans or by none ranked the first place. Cancer notably caused a relatively high medical expenditure among households with CHE.Conclusion: In China, considering the vulnerability of the population across different dimensions is conducive to the alleviation of high CHE. Furthermore, people with multiple vulnerabilities should be prioritized for intervention. Identifying and targeting them to offer help and support will be an effective approach.

Ups and Downs: An Analysis of Chinese Image in North Korean Media Based on China‐related Reports in Rodong Sinmun from 2009–2020

Over the past 71 years, the development of relations between China and North Korea has experienced ups and downs. The image of China in the North Korean media is also complicated and changeable, reflecting changes in China–North Korea relations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Due to the lack of international transparency in North Korea, the analysis of China‐related reports by North Korean media has more reference value. This text analyzes the China‐related reports in the North Korean mainstream media Rodong Sinmun from 2009 to 2020, and systematically analyzes the main content, reporting trends, changing characteristics, and influencing factors of the North Korean media reports in the past decade. I believe that, since 2009, the North Korean media‐related reports have shown that political topics are the most prevalent topics and that cultural exchanges are increasing, while reports on the economy, science and technology, and education continue to decrease. The reports gradually began to pay attention to environmental problems and social events in China. This report on China has shown a general trend – using a deep interpretation to shallow interpretation, then to a multi‐angle deep exploration – that the perception of China has been changing from one of intimacy to indifference and then sublimation to the “traditional friendly sincere country.” Subsequently, the image of China in Rodong Sinmun lacks comprehensiveness and objectivity. It focuses more on explaining and propagating the policies and lines of the Workers’ Party of North Korea. The change in China–North Korea relations is the most important factor affecting North Korean media coverage about China. Whenever relations between China and North Korea deteriorate, North Korea makes clear its displeasure with China and sharply curbs its coverage of China. And in every crisis between China and North Korea, North Korea has always maintained relations through the “traditional” way. This once again proves that the two countries are each other's important strategic partners and both sides have realized each other's strategic value.

Empirical Analysis of Beneficial Equality of the Basic Medical Insurance for Migrants in China

The fairness of the benefits of basic medical insurance for the migrants is drawing increasing attention. This paper examined the beneficial equality of the basic medical insurance for the floating population in China using the “2014 National Internal Migrant Dynamic Monitoring Survey.” The Heckman model was employed due to selection bias among inpatients, and the random forest algorithm of machine learning was used to analyze the importance of factors affecting the hospitalization decision-making, hospitalization consumption, and reimbursement proportion of the floating population. The results show significant differences in the fairness of basic medical insurance benefits among different income groups, and the highest-income group benefits the most. In contrast, the higher-income group benefits the least. Further verification by introducing the commercial medical insurance indicated that the differences among different income groups did not disappear but reduced the degree of difference among the groups. Although China’s healthcare reform has progressed greatly, the study’s findings confirm that the government’s fair medical insurance can lead to unfair problems and the phenomena of low-income groups subsidizing high-income groups under the equalized basic medical insurance system. Adjusting the design of equalized medical insurance and allowing different income groups to pay different premium levels according to the payment level may be more conducive to the fairness of benefits based on achieving universal health coverage in China.

Social and Structural Determinants of Health Inequities: Socioeconomic, Transportation-Related, and Provincial-Level Indicators of Cost-Related Forgone Hospital Care in China.

Despite near universal health insurance coverage in China, populations with low incomes may still face barriers in access and utilization of affordable health care. We aimed to identify the likelihood of forgone medical care due to cost by surveying individuals from the community to assess: (1) The percent with forgone medical care due to cost; and (2) Factors associated with forgone medical care due to cost. Surveys conducted (2016–2017) in Mandarin included demographic and medical care utilization-related items. Theoretically-informed, fully-adjusted analyses were employed. Approximately 94% of respondents had health insurance, which is somewhat similar to national estimates. Overall, 24% of respondents resided in rural areas, with 18% having less than a high school education, and 49% being male. More than 36% reported forgone medical care due to cost in the past 12 months. In fully-adjusted analyses, having lower education, generally not being satisfied with the commute to the hospital, and being a resident of a province with a lower density of physicians were associated with forgone medical care. Cost-related disparities in the access and utilization of needed medical care persist, even with near universal health insurance, which may be due to one’s satisfaction with travel time to healthcare and other community assets.

The China–EU relation and media representation of China: the case of British newspaper’s coverage of China in the post-Brexit referendum era

The China–EU relation and media representation of China: the case of British newspaper’s coverage of China in the post-Brexit referendum era