ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book reviews the development of the rural health service system and health-related social criteria, such as standard of living, education, and social support. It looks at the consequent health status and examines the health-related resources involved in the social, political, and economic processes. The book presents the unique and innovative ways in which the People's Republic of China has achieved the remarkable improvement in the health of the rural population. It focuses on patterns of health behavior and their social context and also examines patterns of health care delivery as shaped by professional training on the one hand and the social setting of the practice on the other. The book concentrates on the social patterns of lay health behavior, from confronting health risks to consumption of health services.
