Review of Arts and Humanities

Health Communication with Chinese Migrant Workers: Dialogue as an Analytical Framework
Ni Chen, Ph.D.

Abstract
Invoking Kent & Taylor‘s model of dialogic public relations as an analytical framework, this study attempts to explore if communication between Chinese government health officials and migrant workers on sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) could be dialogic in practice, and if so, how. The results out of a survey, focus-group meetings and interviews indicate that, first, the socially-marginalized migrant workers‘ need for dialogic communication, and the government health officials‘ willingness to apply dialogic approaches, prove to be the potentials to initiate dialogue between the two; second, the potentials seem insufficient to warrant genuine dialogue due to the functioning of several constraints. Furthermore, this study suggests possible remedies of these constraints, including growing a dialogic culture in society, reducing governmental control or interference, providing training based on dialogic principles and/or practices, and finding innovative ways of using social media to facilitate the dialogue.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/rah.v8n1a1