Intervention In China Research Articles

Frail Older Adults' Needs and Preferences for Mobile Health Exercise Interventions Guided by Nudge Theory: AQualitative Analysis.

To explore frail older adults' preferences and needs regarding mobile health (mHealth) exercise interventions in China. Additionally, it sought to identify the nudge strategies necessary for initiating and sustaining exercise behaviours among frail older adults. A qualitative study. The semi-structured interviews were conducted between April and May 2024 from two communities in Changsha, China. The data were analysed using a deductive framework analysis aligned to nudge theory, and an inductive thematic analysis to gather relevant needs and preferences. This study involved 14 participants with pre-frailty or frailty, aged 60-82 years (median age of 64 years). While participants were generally receptive to new technologies, lower levels of health literacy and competing priorities often hindered their participation. Three primary functionality requirements were as follows. (1) Profession engagement: tailored exercise prescription, professional and timely feedback and guidance; (2) personalised knowledge encompassing pain management, successful cases and inspiration; (3) beneficial, tailored, dynamic, fragmented, challenging exercise courses. Participants showed positive attitudes towards simplification nudges, gamification nudges, social nudges, trustworthy nudges, reminder nudges, economic nudges, feedback nudges and pre-commitment nudges. Addressing privacy concerns was essential to build trust and acceptance among older adults. These findings emphasised the importance of designing mHealth interventions that address frail older adults' specific needs and preferences while incorporating effective nudge strategies to promote engagement and adherence. Future researchers should explore wearables, ChatGPT language models, virtual coaching assistants, exercise snack to further optimise the experience and analyse the effects of nudges in mHealth exercise interventions among older adults. Exercise systems or app development for frail older adults should meet three basic functionality and essential nudge strategies. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) guidelines were used for reporting. Older adults' engagement and interview data contribute a lot.

Class differences in gratitude and entitlement drive response to COVID‐19 measures

AbstractOwing to the COVID‐19 pandemic, strict government interventions in China have been implemented for more than 3 years as of 2023. How do people of high or low social class respond to the prolonged COVID‐19 measures? Recent evidence has yielded inconsistent conclusions. In this study, we move beyond such debate and focus on the underlying motives that are closely related to both social class and COVID‐19 measure responses. Using a large Chinese sample (N = 1193, 48.50% women, Mage = 30.92 years, SD = 6.08), we found that participants with higher (vs. lower) social class, whether subjective or objective, reported greater gratitude, which in turn increased their willingness to support COVID‐19 measures (i.e. greater public health support and self‐prevention behaviour, and less pandemic burnout). However, those with higher (vs. lower) subjective social class also reported more psychological entitlement, which decreased their willingness to support COVID‐19 measures (i.e. less public health support and greater pandemic burnout). These findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of how social class may influence people's response to COVID‐19 measures.

Trend in physical growth among Chinese urban students: Results from five national successive cross-sectional surveys within the past two decades.

To examine the orientation, magnitude, and pace of secular trends in body height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) among Chinese urban students aged 7-18 years from 2000 to 2019. Data were extracted from Chinese urban students aged 7-18 years from the Chinese National Surveillance on Students' Constitution and Health in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2014, and 2019. The height, weight, and BMI of 548 419, 548 408, and 548 365 urban students aged 7-18 years, respectively, were tested. The mean differences across survey years were tested by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The pace of secular trends is expressed as the change every 5 years between every two adjacent survey years. Height increments between 1.9 and 6.2 cm, weight increments between 2.7 and 8.6 kg, and BMI increments between 0.9 and 1.9 kg/m2 were observed in boys. For girls, height increments between 1.5 and 4.9 cm, weight increments between 2.2 and 6.0 kg, and BMI increments between 0.7 and 1.7 kg/m2 were observed. The pace of secular trends in height decreased in the last 5 years, and the secular trends in weight and BMI have accelerated in the last 9 years compared with the previous 10 years. Although the secular trend in height among Chinese urban students has slowed, it has not yet reached its genetic potential and continues to increase. The rapid increase in weight and BMI was a cause for concern. Our findings provide a basis for the future formulation of public health interventions in China.

Losing the race before its start: inequities in early childhood development interventions in China

ABSTRACT Extensive research demonstrates the far-reaching impacts of early childhood development (ECD) interventions, including both pre-primary education (PPE) and in-home nurturing. At the same time, a limited understanding of inequalities in ECD exposure across groups of children in many countries poses a fundamental challenge to effective policymaking. This research investigates key factors driving unequal access to PPE and positive parenting for children in China using data from the nationally representative China Family Panel Studies 2010–2018. The research finds substantial and persistent disparities by children’s ethnicity, migration status, household wealth, and mother’s education. While mother’s education dominates variation in both PPE participation and parenting practices, household wealth and ethnicity strongly influence PPE participation but exert less influence than migration status on positive parenting. The research contributes to a deeper understanding of the factors driving inequality in ECD in China, with important implications for targeted policies and programmes in China and beyond.

Understanding the Institutional Logics of China’s Community-Based Intervention for Older People

ABSTRACT Community-based policies have gained global popularity, signaling a paradigm shift from individual responsibility for healthy aging to an approach involving community-based intervention. Learning from Western experience, China has also experimented with this form of intervention. It has policy interventions aimed at providing community-based facilities and services that enable older people to age in place. However, the institutional foundations of Chinese communities differ greatly from those in Western countries. Implementing a critical realist case study focusing on a community-based program in Beijing, this study aims to examine the institutional logics that contribute toward a contextually appropriate community-based policy intervention in China. We identified three institutional logics. First, the Confucian moral obligation of benevolence requires authorities to provide social welfare for vulnerable citizens. Second, China’s community-based interventions are state-led territorialized provisions prioritizing communities rather than individuals. Third, community-based social policies are subordinate to economic growth objectives. This study contributes to the understanding of contextually appropriate community-based policy interventions in China.

Economic evaluation of newborn deafness gene screening as a public health intervention in China: a modelling study

BackgroundWhile global newborn hearing screening programmes (NHSP) are far from the optimal level, the combined hearing and genetic screening has emerged as an innovative approach of early healthcare interventions. There...

The Value of Political Connections of Developers in Residential Land Leasing: Case of Chengdu, China

The graduate approach applied in China for the economic transition poses the risk of continued government influence on the market. The land reform and the following adjustment in China have introduced a seemingly complete market for residential land. However, a widely practiced coalition between the local developmental states and developers might impact residential land leasing in a more hidden way. Taking central Chengdu as the study area, this study takes the enterprise ownership and affiliations as two explanatory factors that impact the land leasing prices and builds an MGWR model to evaluate the premium of political connections for the developers to obtain the land. The result gives a clue to the local protectionism and preference for state-owned enterprises that might exist in land leasing in Chengdu. It is proved in this study that the average purchase price by state-owned enterprises is 8.9% lower than the prices that private enterprises could enjoy, and the average land leasing price by local enterprises is 14.2% lower than that enjoyed by non-local enterprises. The preceding conceptual and empirical discussion in this study advocates for a review and rethinking of the public sector’s intervention in China’s land market. In-depth analyses of the factors that define the land leasing behaviors of the local government are needed.

The prevalence and outcomes in STEMI patients aged ≥75 undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention in China

ObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence and outcomes of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Chinese patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) aged ≥75 years. MethodsWe identified STEMI patients aged ≥75 years between 2013 and 2014 from a multicenter registry. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. The secondary outcome was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE) including a composite of all-cause mortality, cardiac death, recurrent MI, stroke, revascularization, and major bleeding. Hazard ratios (HR) and associated 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. ResultsApproximately 32.9% (n = 999) patients received primary PCI. Primary PCI was associated with lower risks of two-year all-cause mortality (18.0% vs. 36.4%; adjusted HR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.65, P < 0.0001), MACCE (28.7% vs. 43.5%; adjusted HR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.59 to 0.80, P < 0.0001), and cardiac death (10.0% vs. 23.6%; adjusted HR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.38 to 0.62, P < 0.0001) relative to no reperfusion (n = 2041) in patients aged ≥75 years. The better outcomes in two-year all-cause mortality, MACCE, and cardiac death were consistently observed in STEMI patients aged ≥85 years. No differences were observed in recurrent MI, stroke, revascularization, and major bleeding between the two groups. Additionally, in patients with relatively high-risk profiles such as cardiogenic shock or delaying hospital admission, primary PCI was also superior to no reperfusion. ConclusionPrimary PCI may decrease two-year all-cause mortality, MACCE, and cardiac death in STEMI patients aged ≥75 years, even in these with age ≥85 years, cardiogenic shock, or delaying hospital admission. However, primary PCI was underutilized in Chinese clinical practice.

Carbon finance and low-carbon technological change: Evidence from China

Promoting carbon finance is considered a solution for supporting climate change mitigation. This article investigates the impact of carbon finance development on low-carbon technological change, exploiting textual analysis technology to measure the low-carbon innovation quality of 2953 CO2 emission allowance enterprises and evaluating the carbon finance index of eight pilots. Our panel regression results from 2014 to 2021 show that carbon finance encourages enterprises with CO2 emission allowances to upgrade their low-carbon innovation quality. The findings remain robust after using a variety of tests, including the instrumental variable (IV) approach, alternative innovation quality measure, replacement patent application with grant, etc. Our heterogeneity results indicate that the effect of carbon finance on low-carbon technological change is only statistically significant in non-state-owned enterprises, resulting from administrative government intervention in China's carbon market. Additionally, enterprises with stronger technology intensity show a statistically significant impact of carbon finance on the quality of low-carbon innovation. Furthermore, the mechanism shows that the effect of carbon finance on low-carbon technological change can be attributed to strengthened R&amp;D intensity and mitigated financial constraints. This study sheds light on the positive significance of carbon finance and has a certain guiding role for the promotion path of China's national carbon market to support low-carbon transformation.

The role of spillovers when evaluating regional development interventions: evidence from administrative upgrading in China

Direct effects of regional development interventions on targeted areas may be amplified by positive spillovers from elsewhere or offset by negative spillovers. Yet spillovers are often ignored in the applied literature, where impact analyses based on difference-in-differences typically treat spatial units as independent of their neighbours. We study spatial spillovers from a popular regional development intervention in China—converting counties to cities. China’s top-down approach lets only central government bestow city status on an area, with over ten percent of counties upgraded to cities in the last two decades. A growing literature estimates impacts of these conversions, with spatial units typically treated as independent of their neighbours. In contrast, our spatial econometric models use a 20-year panel for almost 2500 county-level units to allow indirect spillover effects on indicators of local economic activity. The positive direct effects on GDP and luminosity of a county being upgraded are amplified through positive indirect effects, especially in the eastern regions of China where economic activity and population are more densely concentrated. The models without spatial lags that ignore spillovers give estimated effects of converting counties to cities that are only two-fifths to two-thirds as large as the estimated effects coming from the spatial models.

Developing a risk assessment tool for cancer-related venous thrombosis in China: a modified Delphi-analytic hierarchy process study

ObjectiveTo develop a Risk Assessment Tool for Cancer-related Venous Thrombosis in China.MethodsA modified two-round Delphi method was employed to establish consensus within a field to reach an agreement via a questionnaire or by interviewing a multidisciplinary panel of experts by collecting their feedback to inform the next round, exchanging their knowledge, experience, and opinions anonymously, and resolving uncertainties. Furthermore, The AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) was used to determine the final quality indicators’ relative importance.ResultsThe expert’s positive coefficient was 85.19% in the first round and 82.61% in the second round, with authoritative coefficients of 0.89 and 0.92 in the respective surveys. The P-value of Kendall’s W test was all less than 0.001 for each round, and the W-value for concordance at the end of the two rounds was 0.115. The final Risk Assessment Tool for Cancer-related Venous Thrombosis consisted of three domains, ten subdomains, and 39 indicators, with patient factors weighing 0.1976, disease factors weighing 0.4905, and therapeutic factors weighing 0.3119.ConclusionThe tool is significantly valid and reliable with a strong authority and coordination degree, and it can be used to assess the risk of cancer-related VTE and initiate appropriate thrombophylactic interventions in China.

Respiratory Diseases Caused by Air Pollution and Interventions

Air pollution become a concerning environmental problem nowadays, and the morbidity of respiratory diseases caused by air pollution increased rapidly in recent years. Interventions for air pollution and respiratory diseases related to air pollution is essential. The essay mainly discussed the background of air pollution and respiratory diseases, the harm to public health, interventions for air pollution and factors related to respiratory diseases. Through the comparison between interventions in China and western countries, it can be seen that most interventions are the same, for example setting standards for emissions, warning people risk factors of respiratory diseases and taking protective measures. The difference between the interventions is that Chinese residents turn to have less knowledge about the diseases and risk factors and they rely on authorities more, while western people’s individual efforts and personal willing play important roles in policies and actions, both the government and individuals are important in the control of air pollution and the protection of public health towards air pollution.

Nutritional supply: The potential simplest vaccine and therapy as tuberculosis control intervention in China

Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly contagious disease that previously held the distinction of being the leading cause of mortality prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It imposes a significant burden on a global scale. This disease might potentially impact individuals regular nutritional status and impose financial strain on patients family. This article discuss the current state of TB disease burden in China and India, which serve as representative examples of nations with a high burden of this disease. Next, a discussion was held regarding the implementation of ordinary control interventions in China. Considering nutritional support has gained increasing recognition as a novel intervention in the management and control aspect. The potential feasibility of implementing nutritional support as a novel intervention for TB control in China is discussed in this article, drawing upon the success of a trial conducted in India. However, additional research is required prior to the practical implementation.

Modeling farmers’ willingness to engage in traceability systems: toward sustainable agricultural transformation

IntroductionThe primary objective of this study is to examine the factors that affect farmers’ willingness to engage in traceability systems. Traceability systems are widely promoted as technologies that ensure the quality and safety of agricultural products. However, the participation rate of farmers in developing countries remains low.MethodsTo empirically address this issue, the study analyzed structured interview data from 408 fruit farmers in Henan Province, Central China, using structural equation modeling and system dynamics.ResultsThe results indicate that attitude, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, moral norms, and safety awareness are crucial factors influencing farmers’ willingness to engage. It is particularly noteworthy that system dynamics simulations revealed the significant role of improving attitude and subjective norms in promoting farmers’ willingness. Moreover, subjective norms have a positive influence on moral norms. We also found that gender, education, orchard area, income and access to credit have a significant positive impact on farmers’ willingness to engage.DiscussionBy uncovering the internal decision-making mechanisms behind farmers’ engagement in traceability systems, this study extends the research scope of agricultural technology adoption. These findings can serve as a basis for formulating traceability system policies and interventions in China and other developing countries.

Visual Narratives of Boxer-era China: Two German Photo Albums of the Early 1900s

Abstract In this article, I examine two ‘semi-public’ German photo albums composed in the immediate aftermath of the international military intervention in China in 1900–01 known as the Boxer War. One was compiled by two members of the German East Asian Expeditionary Corps, Dr Wang and Lieutenant Freiherr von Meerscheidt-Hüllessem, the other by the incoming German minister to Beijing, Alfred von Mumm. I will begin by developing a narrative theory of the photo album. I will use this to demonstrate how the two albums visually (re-)construct a multifaceted journey through space and time in which political and military themes blend with a cultural gaze on China’s architecture as well as its people. The albums are thus situated at the intersection between imperialist intervention, cultural ethnography and modern (foreign) tourism in China. And they reflect various power differentials: not just the one between imperialist agents and victims but equally that between ethnographers and the people they study, as well as the one that characterises modern tourism.

A Study on Judicial Intervention in China’s Corporate Impasse: Focusing on the Application of Judicial Dissolution of a Company

Purpose - As one of the great inventions of modern society, the company system is an important driving force for social progress. As a malpractice in the operation of the company, the deadlock of the company is harmful to the company itself, its shareholders, creditors and even the public.&#x0D; Design/Methodology/Approach - The judicial dissolution system in Article 183 of China’s current Company Law provides a legal basis for judicial intervention in the deadlock of the company and fills the legislative gap. Yet the corporate stalemate is not simply linked to judicial dissolution (Bao Weimin, 2005). Corporate deadlock is only one of the reasons why shareholders have the right to request judicial dissolution; judicial dissolution should not be the only solution to the deadlock.&#x0D; Findings - Forcing the dissolution of the company to resolve the deadlock is clearly wrong for shareholders who want to resolve the deadlock but do not want to destroy the company.However, China’s current Company Law provides too single judicial remedy, too general regulations and weak operability.&#x0D; Research Implications - This paper discusses the extension and connotation of corporate deadlock and analyses the rationality of judicial intervention (Wang Jianjian, 2013). This paper also analyzes the concept and characteristics of the company deadlock, and provides a standard for the determination of the company deadlock, limits the environment of the company deadlock to limited liability company and further limits the scope of the discussion.

Cost‐effectiveness of zinc interventions in China: A cohort‐based Markov model

AbstractZinc acts as an important cofactor in the body and is essential for normal functions. Several zinc interventions have been implemented worldwide to improve the public's zinc status, but limited studies have assessed their cost‐effectiveness. To help inform decision‐making on zinc interventions to maximize benefits within a fixed budget, we took China as an example and evaluated the cost‐effectiveness of three interventions, that is, supplementation, food fortification, and biofortification. As an essential group at high risk of zinc deficiency, children aged 5–14 years, who account for 10% of the Chinese population, were selected as the target group in this study. We constructed a decision‐analytic Markov model to determine the cost‐effectiveness of interventions in China under different scenarios. In our model, biofortification through conventional breeding was shown to be the most cost‐effective approach in most scenarios. Compared with other interventions, zinc supplementation gained fewer quality‐adjusted life years at a higher net cost, suggesting that this common approach may not be optimal for large‐scale, long‐term implementation at the national level. While the robustness of the results was further confirmed by the sensitivity analysis, more research is needed to assess the cost‐effectiveness of addressing zinc deficiency with other interventions. Further clinical trials are also expected to evaluate the effectiveness of zinc interventions in reducing pneumonia cases [EconLit Citations: I18, Q16, Q18].

Evaluating smoking cessation interventions in China's primary care facility networks for hypertensive patients aged 45 years and older: A retrospective cohort study.

In China's aging population, hypertension, aggravated by smoking, constitutes a substantial health concern. However, the effectiveness of the national public health interventions for smoking cessation under the Essential Public Health Services remains unverified. Our aim was to examine smoking prevalence, the proportion of individuals receiving smoking cessation advice, its impact on successful cessation among Chinese hypertensive patients aged ≥45 years, and to discern disparities in the coverage and efficacy of smoking cessation interventions between primary care facilities and hospitals. Employing a longitudinal cohort approach, we examined four waves (2011-2018) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). We surveyed a nationally representative cohort of hypertensive individuals, accounting for smoking status, cessation advice, healthcare preferences, and 11 pertinent covariates. Among the 4269 hypertensive patients, smokers were predominantly male, aged <65 years, with lower education and lower wealth. Smoking prevalence decreased from 25.2% in 2011 to 21.1% in 2018. The incidence of physician-provided smoking cessation advice reached a peak of 60.3% in 2015, decreasing to 54.8% in 2018. Visitors to primary care facilities reported the highest rate of advice reception. While patients receiving advice exhibited a higher smoking prevalence, instrumental variable regression and subgroup analyses found no significant correlation between advice receipt and successful cessation. We observed a substantial smoking prevalence among older hypertensive Chinese individuals and limited effectiveness of existing cessation programs. This underscores the necessity for augmenting primary care and devising a comprehensive health policy for more successful smoking cessation interventions, particularly considering China's rapidly aging population.

China's pivot from zero-COVID strategy and the role of vaccines

ObjectiveThis paper aims to examine China's vaccine policy within the context of broader policy interventions and evaluate their impact on both health and non-health outcomes. MethodWe first utilize the categorizing Policy & Technology Interventions (CPTI) framework to assess the intensities of different policy responses during various stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. We adopt a process inspired by the Delphi method to evaluate the timelines and intensities of the policy measures comprehensively. Subsequently, we probe the results generated from this process to identify distinctive patterns in China's pandemic policy changes, particularly in relation to the country's reopening process. To explain this distinctive pattern, we employ the governmentality perspective, drawing on Foucault's theories, which focus on the power dynamics between techniques and governance. ResultsThe policy interventions in China during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly differ from those in the other countries in the four policy areas. Despite the massive vaccination efforts, vaccines did not play a decisive role in China's reopening in late 2022. Our analysis reveals that the vaccines are only used in China as part of a broader social governing system in conjunction with zero-COVID policy, such as lockdowns, travel restrictions, and mass tracking. ConclusionsChina's approach to COVID vaccines and the policies governing their use are distinctive, shaped by a governmentality perspective that prioritizes the strengthening of governance.

The Role of Education and Green Innovation in Green Transition: Advancing the United Nations Agenda on Sustainable Development

Educating the masses about the dire consequences of climate change in high-polluting countries is essential to achieving the United Nations’ sustainable development agenda. This study investigates the role of education in environmental sustainability and influencing mechanisms of green innovation and government intervention in China. Using panel data of 31 provinces from 2008 to 2020, our analysis documents the significant impact of education in reducing pollutant emissions. Further, green innovation and government intervention can enhance this impact significantly. Regional heterogeneity tests show a more pronounced effect of education and government intervention in the eastern and western provinces, while the western region is indifferent in this regard. The results are robust to the replacement of core variables and shifting mean values. The likely endogeneity issue is resolved through the system GMM approach, which provides similar estimates as in the baseline regression. The study offers several implications for the government, researchers, policymakers, environmentalists, and industrialists.