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Representation of non-communicable diseases in the Malaysian national strategic plan and medical brochures: a discourse-historical approach

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as heart disease and diabetes have a high mortality rate, which inspired governments to develop plans to manage NCDs. The Malaysian government produced the National Strategic Plan for Non-Communicable Diseases 2016-2025 (NSPNCD 2016-2025) and various broc...

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Main Authors: Ling, Khai Lee, Kumaran Rajandran,
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2024
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23584/1/Gema%20Online_24_1_8.pdf
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23584/
https://ejournal.ukm.my/gema/issue/view/1648
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spelling my-ukm.journal.235842024-05-24T01:07:27Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23584/ Representation of non-communicable diseases in the Malaysian national strategic plan and medical brochures: a discourse-historical approach Ling, Khai Lee Kumaran Rajandran, Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as heart disease and diabetes have a high mortality rate, which inspired governments to develop plans to manage NCDs. The Malaysian government produced the National Strategic Plan for Non-Communicable Diseases 2016-2025 (NSPNCD 2016-2025) and various brochures to enhance NCD prevention and management, and to inform the public about heart disease and diabetes. However, healthcare is one of the most prevalent contexts where stigmatization occurs. Unequal power relations in health discourse exists where language tends to tacitly blame chronic disease patients for poor health conditions. Motivated by these linguistic issues, the present article performs a critical discourse analysis of the National Strategic Plan and health brochures using the Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA). Strategies in the DHA were chosen to deconstruct how social actors are linguistically referred to and predicated, and how argumentation transpires in the texts. While heart disease is represented as a lethal NCD, diabetes is represented as an NCD and a risk factor for heart disease. The former is caused by hereditary factors and unhealthy lifestyles, but the latter is manageable yet uncurable. However, the two NCDs are depicted as a threat to the economy and country. Moreover, the government and citizens are contrasted. The government is given a positive evaluation because it helps to control the two NCDs while Malaysian NCD patients seem to burden the health services, and they need to endeavor to avoid NCDs. The contrast is exemplified by the topoi of threat and urgency to justify actions and decisions regarding health. The National Strategic Plan and various brochures convey a consistent ideology that the two NCDs should be prevented, and individual responsibility is required. This study sheds light on the underlying ideologies that shape the texts, particularly the portrayal of NCDs as an individual responsibility. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2024-02 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23584/1/Gema%20Online_24_1_8.pdf Ling, Khai Lee and Kumaran Rajandran, (2024) Representation of non-communicable diseases in the Malaysian national strategic plan and medical brochures: a discourse-historical approach. GEMA: Online Journal of Language Studies, 24 (1). pp. 134-152. ISSN 1675-8021 https://ejournal.ukm.my/gema/issue/view/1648
institution Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
building Tun Sri Lanang Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
content_source UKM Journal Article Repository
url_provider http://journalarticle.ukm.my/
language English
description Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as heart disease and diabetes have a high mortality rate, which inspired governments to develop plans to manage NCDs. The Malaysian government produced the National Strategic Plan for Non-Communicable Diseases 2016-2025 (NSPNCD 2016-2025) and various brochures to enhance NCD prevention and management, and to inform the public about heart disease and diabetes. However, healthcare is one of the most prevalent contexts where stigmatization occurs. Unequal power relations in health discourse exists where language tends to tacitly blame chronic disease patients for poor health conditions. Motivated by these linguistic issues, the present article performs a critical discourse analysis of the National Strategic Plan and health brochures using the Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA). Strategies in the DHA were chosen to deconstruct how social actors are linguistically referred to and predicated, and how argumentation transpires in the texts. While heart disease is represented as a lethal NCD, diabetes is represented as an NCD and a risk factor for heart disease. The former is caused by hereditary factors and unhealthy lifestyles, but the latter is manageable yet uncurable. However, the two NCDs are depicted as a threat to the economy and country. Moreover, the government and citizens are contrasted. The government is given a positive evaluation because it helps to control the two NCDs while Malaysian NCD patients seem to burden the health services, and they need to endeavor to avoid NCDs. The contrast is exemplified by the topoi of threat and urgency to justify actions and decisions regarding health. The National Strategic Plan and various brochures convey a consistent ideology that the two NCDs should be prevented, and individual responsibility is required. This study sheds light on the underlying ideologies that shape the texts, particularly the portrayal of NCDs as an individual responsibility.
format Article
author Ling, Khai Lee
Kumaran Rajandran,
spellingShingle Ling, Khai Lee
Kumaran Rajandran,
Representation of non-communicable diseases in the Malaysian national strategic plan and medical brochures: a discourse-historical approach
author_facet Ling, Khai Lee
Kumaran Rajandran,
author_sort Ling, Khai Lee
title Representation of non-communicable diseases in the Malaysian national strategic plan and medical brochures: a discourse-historical approach
title_short Representation of non-communicable diseases in the Malaysian national strategic plan and medical brochures: a discourse-historical approach
title_full Representation of non-communicable diseases in the Malaysian national strategic plan and medical brochures: a discourse-historical approach
title_fullStr Representation of non-communicable diseases in the Malaysian national strategic plan and medical brochures: a discourse-historical approach
title_full_unstemmed Representation of non-communicable diseases in the Malaysian national strategic plan and medical brochures: a discourse-historical approach
title_sort representation of non-communicable diseases in the malaysian national strategic plan and medical brochures: a discourse-historical approach
publisher Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
publishDate 2024
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23584/1/Gema%20Online_24_1_8.pdf
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23584/
https://ejournal.ukm.my/gema/issue/view/1648
_version_ 1800088772004544512
score 13.211869

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