Health social sciences, though in their infancy worldwide, are rapidly developing in China, according to sources at the sixth Asia Social Sciences and Medical Conference that ended on Friday in Kunming, capital city of southwest China's Yunnan Province.
In modern society, chronic and non-infectious diseases, including heart diseases, cancers and mental disorders have become major killers, due largely to social and psychological factors.
To study the phenomenon, health social sciences have emerged by integrating biological medicine with social sciences.
Professor Zhang Kaining from Kunming Medical College said the fact that the Asia Social Sciences and Medical Conference, which was held in China for the first time, "provided a wonderful opportunity for the development of social sciences, medicine and demography as well as other related studies in the country."
According to Zhang, a pioneer in the field in China, health social sciences have attracted a wide range of domestic medical practitioners and specialists in public health, feminism, ecology, anthropology, sociology, demography, economics, education sciences, history, psychology and ethnic studies.
Chinese scholars have tackled pioneering research in health social sciences. Some took part in planning for the Asian-Pacfic Net of Health Social Sciences (APNET) under the International Forum for Social Sciences in Health and helped with the launching of this week's conference.
Since 1994, Professor Gu Xinyuan at Shanghai Medical Science University, Professor Wang Shaoxian at Beijing Medical Science University and Professor Kong Lai at Beijing Union Medical College have contributed significantly to APNET operations.
(Xinhua News Agency October 19, 2002)
