Insights from COVID-19: Reflecting on the Promotion of Long-Term Health Policies in China

Abstract

China announced the Healthy China Initiative (2019–2030) in 2019, an action program aimed to support the country’s current long-term health policy, Healthy China 2030, which focuses on public health promotion and health awareness. Following the implementation of the policy, China had the COVID-19 pandemic, which had an influence on both the public’s degree of health awareness and the adoption of the HCI. This research examines whether the COVID-19 epidemic has increased public understanding and acceptance of China’s long-term health policy. In addition, it analyzes whether the Chinese public’s awareness of health policy has been impacted by China’s usage of smart healthcare in its response to the pandemic. To correspond to these study aims, we used a questionnaire based on the research questions and recent relevant research. The results of the study, based on an examination of 2488 data, demonstrate that the Healthy China Initiative is still poorly understood. More than 70% of respondents were unfamiliar with it. However, the results imply that respondents are becoming more aware of smart healthcare and that public acceptance of official health policies can be aided by the sharing of knowledge about this. As a result, we examine the situation and draw the conclusion that the spread of cutting-edge health-related technology can enhance the communication of health policy and provide participants and policymakers with fresh insights. Finally, this study also can provide lessons for other countries in the early stages of policy dissemination, particularly health policy advocacy and promotion during epidemics.