RESUMO
Health literacy is critical to improving individual and public health. However, indigenous perceptions of health are largely absent from Western-derived measurements, contributing to disparities in health outcomes between indigenous and non-indigenous populations. China is the country with the world's largest population and only officially introduced the term "health literacy" in 2008. Current measures of health literacy in China are primarily based on Western-derived constructs, which have been shown to have poor comparability to the unique dual medical system in China. Given its significant importance to health management globally, understanding health perceptions from a traditional Chinese medicine perspective is essential. This review explores the concept and core elements of indigenous health literacy, evaluates the existing definitions and measurement tools as applied to the concept, and proposes a new model of traditional Chinese medicine health literacy. Please cite this article as: Qian Z, Wang GY, Henning M, Chen Y. Understanding health literacy from a traditional Chinese medicine perspective. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(3): 215-220.
Assuntos
Letramento em Saúde , Medicina Tradicional Chinesa , ChinaRESUMO
AIM: To explore the dynamic between Chinese people with bipolar disorder (BD) and family functioning. METHODS: Nine New Zealand Chinese with BD were interviewed. Data analysis was guided by content and thematic approaches. RESULTS: Four themes summarised from the interviews included: (1) family members are the primary resource; (2) many facets of recovery from BD is integrally linked with caregiving; (3) quality of family relationships is associated with acceptance of the illness; and (4) perception of caregiver burden motivates self-care. CONCLUSION: The findings support the need for mechanism that can minimise the risk of adverse family functioning associated with BD and the need of professional involvement when working with these families.