Disease representations and related behavioural intentions among Chinese Singaporeans

Abstract

This study investigates the cognitive dimensions used by Chinese Singaporeans in thinking about diseases and their relationship to intentions to perform selected illness behaviours. Participants, 123 undergraduates and 119 of their parents, rated pairs of diseases as to perceived similarity and rated these same diseases as to their characteristics and what action they would take if they experienced them. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) analyses of the similarity ratings revealed three dimensions which were labelled as "life-threatening", "due to blocked qi" (a Chinese illness concept), and "caused by a virus." The dimension showing the strongest relationship to behavioural intentions was "life-threatening." When a disease was perceived as life-threatening, participants indicated that they would be more likely to visit a (Western) doctor and less likely to visit a sinseh (practitioner of Chinese medicine), use a home remedy or take traditional Chinese medicines.