Thursday, 15 July 2010: 8:30 AM
Learning Objective 1: understand why new approaches are needed to study global health in non-western or hybrid societies.
Learning Objective 2: critique current dominating preconception health and care discourses based on study findings from Tonglu county, Zhejiang, China.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use a Chinese approach to define preconception health and care from the view point of women, mothers, and healthcare providers.Methods: Based on a critical review of preconception health and care literature, and Chinese cultural studies, the researcher used a Chinese ways of knowing discourse analysis as a methodology for this study. The study setting was in Tonglu county, Zhejiang, China, with 82.5% rural population. A purposive sample of 86 participants (36 healthcare providers, 40 adult daughters, and 10 maternal mothers) participated in the study. The Chinese ways of knowing discourse analysis interviews and analysis techniques were used to identify preconception health and care discourses and interactions circulating in the study setting. Results: Three main discourses identified among the healthcare providers were 1) voluntary premarital health examination lacks “power”, 2) moral decline needs more attention, and 3) a need to restore harmony. Four main discourses circulating among the adult daughters were 1) care during menstrual period, 2) a harmonious relationship with husband, 3) nourishing (滋zi ) yin and supplying (补 bu) yang, and 4) a sense of financial security. Three major discourses identified among maternal mothers were 1) no need to interrupt the natural course if life is in harmony, 2) to conceive when there is still vitality in life, and 3) nourishing (滋zi ) yin and supplying (补 bu) yang. The common ground for all the discourses is the metaphor of preparing the “soil” before “sowing.” Conclusion: Preconception care is considered as the next maternal and child health frontier. Expanding the language surrounding preconception health and care will contribute to a better understanding of national-state differences in order to promote preconception health globally. This study shows the importance of intersecting client and providers ideas about preconception health and care.
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