Policy Analysis Untangles Preconception Health and Care Definitions: The Innovative Use of Policies, and Women's and Providers' Voices from Rural Zhejiang China

Liu, Fuqin

Tuesday, 1 November 2011: 8:50 AM

Fuqin Liu, PhD, RN
College of Nursing, Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX

Learning Objective 1: To describe the language use in Chinese nationally and provincially issued preconception related policy documents.

Learning Objective 2: To describe rural women's and healthcare providers' viewpoints on preconception related policies.

Aims: The study aims conducted in rural Zhejiang were: (a) to define and critically analyze preconception health and care in the context of Chinese governmental policies; and (b) to explore how adult daughters, their maternal mothers, and healthcare providers engaged in preconception health and care related governmental policies.

Methods: Policy text and interview texts were the two data sources. The field work was conducted in Tonglu County, Zhejiang, China. Fourteen governmental policies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Eighty-six in-depth individual interviews were completed with three groups of study participants, namely adult daughters, their maternal mothers, and healthcare providers. Policy discourse analysis and critical discourse analysis were used to analyze the policy and interview texts.

Results: Two major discourses were identified from the policy documents in relation to constructing preconception health. These were (a) health conditions before marriage and (b) health conditions after marriage. Five major discourses were identified from the policy documents in relation to constructing preconception care. These were (a) menstrual care, (b) married women’s care, (c) intending to be married couple’s care, (d) couple’s family planning, and (e) married couple’s care. Adult daughters, their maternal mothers, and healthcare providers varied in their perspectives on preconception health and care policies. Seeing policy as a formality was voiced by both adult daughter and healthcare provider groups.

Implications: This was the first study to examine the language used in Chinese preconception policies. The study found that the concept of preconception health and care was mainly constructed around marriage in Chinese policy, and that the current policies do not meet the needs of women who get pregnant before marriage. Furthermore, unique obstacles exist for preconception policy implementation in China. Future preconception health and care policy efforts need to tackle the issue of growing number of pregnant brides.

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