Cultivating Self-Care: Health Television and the Internalization of Individual Responsibility for Health in Contemporary China

Encouraging personal responsibility for health is central to China’s policy response to rapid population aging, with mass media mobilized to support this goal. Drawing on cultivation theory, this study surveys 500 Chinese adults to examine how health television cultivates beliefs in personal responsibility for health and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) self-care. TV viewing was positively associated with favorable TCM attitudes, perceived benefits of self-care, endorsement of cultural-moral values, and belief in personal health responsibility, with these links mediated by perceived source credibility. Belief in personal responsibility, positive TCM attitudes, and dissatisfaction with the health care system significantly predicted intentions to engage in TCM-based self-care. Findings highlight TV’s role in aligning health orientations with state priorities and cultural traditions.