Children’s Healthcare and Parental Media Engagement in Urban China : A Culture of Anxiety?

This book analyses parental anxieties about their children’s healthcare issues in urban China, engaging with wider theoretical debates about modernity, risk and anxiety. It examines the broader social, cultural and historical contexts of parental anxiety by analysing a series of socio-economic changes and population policy changes in post-reform China that contextualise parental experiences. Drawing on Wilkinson’s (2001) conceptualisation linking individual’s risk consciousness to anxiety, this book analyses the situated risk experiences of parents’ and grandparents’, looking particularly into their engagement with various types of media. It studies the representations of health issues and health-related risks in a parenting magazine, popular newspapers, commercial advertising and new media, as well as parents’ and grandparents’ engagement with and response to these media representations. By investigating ‘a culture of anxiety’ among parents and grandparents in contemporary China, this book seeks to add to the scholarship of contemporary parenthood in a non- Western context. Children’s Healthcare and Parental Media Engagement in Urban China 3 Acknowledgements 6 Contents 7 List of Figures 8 1 Introduction 9 Research Background 10 Theoretical Framework and Research Objectives 10 Methodology 13 Outline of the Book 14 Notes 17 Bibliography 18 2 Risk and Children’s Healthcare in Modern China 21 Introduction 21 Risk Society and Modern Cultural Experience in China 21 Ulrich Beck’s Risk Society 22 The Rise of Individualisation in China 23 One-Child Policy and Changing Family Structure 25 Consumer Society and Individualisation 27 Healthcare Reform in China 30 Health Risks, Individualisation and Reflexivity 34 Conclusion 36 Notes 17 Bibliography 42 3 Contextualising Parental Experiences in Post-Reform China 48 Introduction 48 Cross-Generational Views of Childcare 49 Grandparental Views About Childcare 50 Parental Views of Childcare 58 Rural-Urban Divide—Views of Parents and Grandparents 64 Popular Magazine—Parenting Science 66 Conclusion 72 Notes 17 Bibliography 77 4 Feeding Fears: News Coverage of the Infant Formula Scandal and Health Risk Communication 79 Introduction 79 Media and the Social Amplification of Risk 80 Methodology 81 The 2008 Infant Formula Scandal 82 News Coverage of the 2008 Infant Formula Scandal 83 News Coverage of Recurrent Food Safety Risks 87 Authorities in News Coverage 93 The Representation of Expert Opinion in News Coverage 96 News Coverage of Risks, Science and Technology 101 Conclusion 106 Notes 108 Bibliography 110 5 Mediating Nature, Risk and Scientific Protection: Advertising Discourse of Healthcare Products and Parental Reception 115 Introduction 115 Advertising in China 115 Methodology 117 Mediating Nature, Science and Food Safety 118 Nature, Risks and Scientific Protection 124 Risk, Parental Anxiety and Rising Childcare Cost 132 Conclusion 137 Notes 17 Bibliography 143 6 Managing Anxiety: Parental Engagement with New Media and Civic Participation 146 Introduction 146 New Media and Health Information Seeking 147 New Media and Social Networking 155 New Media and Civic Participation 165 Conclusion 171 Notes 174 Bibliography 176 7 Conclusion: A Culture of Anxiety? 179 A Review of Theoretical Issues and Research Aims 179 Summary of Previous Chapters 180 Reflection on the Empirical Findings 189 Media Engagement 190 A Culture of Anxiety 191 Social ‘Stratification’ of Anxiety 193 Parental Agency 194 Contextualised Risk Experiences 196 Anxious Parenting in China and in the West 196 Reflection on Participant Recruitment 200 Future Research 202 Concluding Remarks 204 Notes 17 Bibliography 206 Index 210 'The 'culture of anxiety' that pervades contemporary societies to the detriment of everyday life and experience is nowhere more marked than among parents. This book makes an important and innovative contribution to the investigation of this matter, as it has developed in China. Taking health care and young children as its focus, it provides thought provoking discussion about the interplay between media (including new media) and the workings of risk consciousness, in an economy characterised by rapid change. The empirical work discussed in the book that explores the experience of parents and grandparents is of particular interest methodologically.' - Dr Ellie Lee, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent This book analyses parental anxieties about their children's healthcare issues in urban China, engaging with wider theoretical debates about modernity, risk and anxiety. It examines the broader social, cultural and historical contexts of parental anxiety by analysing a series of socio-economic changes and population policy changes in post-reform China that contextualise parental experiences. Drawing on Wilkinson's (2001) conceptualisation linking individual's risk consciousness to anxiety, this book analyses the situated risk experiences of parents' and grandparents', looking particularly into their engagement with various types of media. It studies the representations of health issues and health-related risks in a parenting magazine, popular newspapers, commercial advertising and new media, as well as parents' and grandparents' engagement with and response to these media representations. By investigating 'a culture of anxiety' among parents and grandparents in contemporary China, this book seeks to add to the scholarship of contemporary parenthood in a non-Western context. This Book Analyses Parental Anxieties About Their Children’s Healthcare Issues In Urban China, Engaging With Wider Theoretical Debates About Modernity, Risk And Anxiety. It Examines The Broader Social, Cultural And Historical Contexts Of Parental Anxiety By Analysing A Series Of Socio-economic Changes And Population Policy Changes In Post-reform China That Contextualise Parental Experiences. Drawing On Wilkinson’s (2001) Conceptualisation Linking Individual’s Risk Consciousness To Anxiety, This Book Analyses The Situated Risk Experiences Of Parents’ And Grandparents’, Looking Particularly Into Their Engagement With Various Types Of Media. It Studies The Representations Of Health Issues And Health-related Risks In A Parenting Magazine, Popular Newspapers, Commercial Advertising And New Media, As Well As Parents’ And Grandparents’ Engagement With And Response To These Media Representations. Introduction -- Risk And Children's Healthcare In Modern China -- Contextualising Parental Experiences In Post-reform China -- Feeding Fears: News Coverage Of The Infant Formula Scandal And Health Risk Communication -- Mediating Nature, Risk And Scientific Protection: Advertising Discourse Of Healthcare Products And Parental Reception -- Managing Anxiety: Parental Engagement With New Media And Civic Participation -- Conclusion: A Culture Of Anxiety? Qian Gong. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction....Pages 1-12 Risk and Children’s Healthcare in Modern China....Pages 13-39 Contextualising Parental Experiences in Post-Reform China....Pages 41-71 Feeding Fears: News Coverage of the Infant Formula Scandal and Health Risk Communication....Pages 73-108 Mediating Nature, Risk and Scientific Protection: Advertising Discourse of Healthcare Products and Parental Reception....Pages 109-139 Managing Anxiety: Parental Engagement with New Media and Civic Participation....Pages 141-173 Conclusion: A Culture of Anxiety?....Pages 175-205 Back Matter....Pages 207-214