In the Media

New tobacco control measures are needed with increasing smoking alternatives

The HKU Youth Quitline hotline saw a 40% surge in cases following the 31.5% tobacco tax increase in 2023, starkly illustrating the impact of tobacco control measures. But Dr Kelvin Luk Tzu-tsun, Project Director of the HKU Youth Quitline and Research Assistant Professor at HKU School of Nursing, noted that while the measure had an immediate impact, particularly among the target clients of the Youth Quitline – individuals aged 25 or below – many teenagers are still not fully aware of the addictive nature of smoking waterpipes due to insufficient public education. The long-term goal is to ban all tobacco products, including waterpipes. Dr Luk further suggested that different tobacco control measures should be implemented, as people respond differently. For instance, HKU research revealed that the success rate of quitting could increase by 90% if expectant fathers were given simple interventions, such as smoking cessation advice and referral to smoking cessation services, during regular antenatal visits.

In another radio programme, Professor Kelvin Wang Man-ping from the School also commented on new tobacco control measures in the pipeline.

(RTHK Radio 3 Backchat – June 13, 2024; Ming Pao Daily online news, Ming Pao Daily News – June 16 2024; Sing Tao Daily – June 19, 2024)

Smoking control measures “would not affect local tourism”

On June 6, the government proposed ten tobacco-control measures, including expanding statutory non-smoking areas to the entrances and exits of childcare centres, schools, residential care homes for the elderly, and public healthcare facilities, etc. Professor Kelvin Wang Man-ping emphasised that it is the tobacco companies and their promotion of nicotine, not tobacco control measures, that are depriving people of the freedom to participate in healthy activities. He also did not think that smoking control measures would affect local tourism and he expressed confidence that Hong Kong will be able to hit its target of lowering the smoking rate to 7.8% by the end of 2025. To further reduce smoking, Professor Wang suggested that the government can significantly increase tobacco taxes, proactively contact smokers to provide short-term smoking cessation services, and make referrals to the Hospital Authority, The University of Hong Kong and other institutions for help in quitting smoking.

(CRHK《政好星期天》, Ming Pao online news, Sing Tao Daily news, On.cc, hkcna.hk – June 16, 2024; The Standard, Oriental Daily News – June 17, 2024)

Six in ten are happy with their family life

Nearly 60% of Hongkongers are happy with their family life, according to a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) and The University of Hong Kong (HKU). More than 4,500 Hong Kong residents aged 18 or above were invited to partake in the online questionnaire, developed by the SMART Family-Link Project under HKJC and the School of Nursing of HKU, which looked into the post-pandemic family happiness levels. The study was conducted in July and August 2023.

58% of the respondents reported a high Family “Xingfu” – which stands for well-being and happiness in Mandarin – which had a mean score of seven or higher. Females (60.4%), older adults (64.2%), those with postsecondary degrees (63%), those from high-income households earning HK$60,000 or more per month (73.7%), and property owners (63.2%) tended to be more satisfied regarding Family Xingfu.

Professor Kelvin Wang Man-ping, Assistant Dean (Professional Development in Health Sciences) at HKUMed and Professor in the School of Nursing, said, “It actually doesn’t take that much time or money to achieve a good familial relationship, so long as enough time is allocated towards fostering quality communication with family members.” He also suggested people employ technology to strengthen ties.

(RTHK English News, 881903.com, i-Cable, Metro Radio online news, SCMP online news, The Standard online news, Ming Pao Daily News instant news, Sing Tao Daily instant news, on.cc, TOPick.hket.com, HKEJ online news, Sing Tao Headline, Orange News, Weekendhk.com, Thehubnews.net – June 13, 2024; TVB news, Ming Pao Daily News online news, on.cc, Wen Wei Po online news, am730 online news, South China Morning Post, Ming Pao Daily News, Oriental Daily News, Hong Kong Economic Journal, Wen Wei Po, Headline Daily, am730, SCMP Young Post, CRHK《千禧年代》, HKET online new, HK01 – June 14, 2024; CRHK《政好星期天》, 881903.com, on.cc, Wen Wei Po online news – June 16, 2024; Weekender.com.sg, Healpy Post, The Standard, theexpress.net.au, Oriental Daily News – June 17, 2024)

School collaborates with Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong in “Mindfulness through Sports” programme

Professor Doris Yu Sau-fung of the School is collaborating with the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong to provide health checks and assessments for its new “Mindfulness through Sports” initiative, a programme aimed at providing health-enhancing activities for older persons. Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the 36-month project targets the physical and mental needs of those aged 55 or above by offering offers sports training classes and experience activities, combined with health assessments, mindfulness, low-intensity slow sports and physiotherapy. The mindfulness exercise classes aim to reach 500 older people annually and to train 50 instructors at the same time. Over three years, as many as 6,000 to 8,000 older people are expected to benefit.

For its part, the School will provide six-month health check-ups for participants aged 60 or above to assess their balance, handgrip strength, memory and cognitive functions, psychosocial health, etc, and observe physical changes that result from the mindfulness exercises.

(Headline Daily, Sing Pao – June 28, 2024)

Air in some Hong Kong shisha bars contains dangerous levels of PM2.5 particles

Professor Jay Lee Jung-jae, Assistant Professor, announced some “alarming” findings regarding air quality at shisha bars. On weekends, the concentration of PM2.5 particles can reach as much as 2,300 micrograms per cubic metre of air in some shisha bars in the city, far exceeding recommended safety levels. According to the World Health Organization, the guidelines for safe exposure to PM2.5 particles are an average of 5mcg/cubic metre annually and an average of 15mcg/cubic metre for 24 hours. Professor Lee urged the government to impose more controls on flavoured tobacco products.

(SCMP – July 13, 2024)

World Breastfeeding Week

The annual World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) was held August 1-7 on the theme of “Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All”, and aimed to encourage collaboration among people from different sectors to eliminate factors that hinder breastfeeding and to support mothers in sustaining it.

Professor Kris Lok Yuet-wan, Assistant Professor, detailed the benefits in a TV news feature. “Breastfeeding allows mothers to continue providing essential nutrition to their babies, which supports stronger immunisation, body and brain growth. Additionally, breastfeeding aids in the recovery of mothers after giving birth, helping them regain their pre-pregnancy weight and reducing the risk of cancer and osteoporosis. Moreover, breastfeeding strengthens the bond between mother and baby.” The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods for up to 2 years or beyond. Professor Lok added, “Mothers can prepare for breastfeeding by researching information and tips, attending breastfeeding seminars, and seeking guidance from healthcare professionals in advance. We encourage early initiation of breastfeeding, frequent breastfeeding, and proper breastfeeding techniques to ensure the best outcome for both mother and baby.”

(RTHK TV《凝聚香港》– August 2, 2024)

Extended paid maternity leave: Positive impact on public health

Professor Kris Lok Yuet-wan, Assistant Professor, collaborated with researchers from HKUMed’s School of Public Health and School of Clinical Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, and the School of Nursing at The University of British Columbia, on a study that revealed the benefits of paid maternity leave. They found that after Hong Kong’s statutory paid maternity leave was extended from 10 to 14 weeks in 2020, there was a significant improvement in maternal mental health, with a 22% decrease in postnatal depressive symptoms among mothers and a 33% reduction in mothers reporting that baby care interfered with their emotional well-being. The findings were published in the healthcare journal Health Affairs.

(scmp.com, Metroradio, mingpao.com, Ming Pao, on.cc, hket.com, EJ Insight, Sing Tao Daily, std.stheadline.com, Sing Tao USA, hkcd.com, am730.com, yahoo.com, healthyD, Ohpama, aastocks.com, Infocast Financial Newswire, The Standard, Hong Kong Economic Times, BioMed Central – September 4, 2024; mingpaocanada.com, ctgoodjobs.com, Hong Kong China News Agency, headtopics.com – September 5, 2024; RTHK《自由風自由 PHONE》, MSN.com – September 6, 2024; Targeted News Service – September 8, 2024; Ming Pao JUMP – September 9, 2024)

AI-powered tool determines risk of heart disease

The Personalised CARdiovascular DIsease risk Assessment for Chinese (P-CARDIAC) model is an AI-powered risk prediction tool specifically designed to predict the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in Chinese individuals – the first of its kind in Hong Kong. It was developed by Professor Celine Chui Sze-ling, Assistant Professor, with colleagues in HKUMed’s School of Public Health. The multidisciplinary research team are testing the innovative P-CARDIAC model in their coming HEARTWISE study, to evaluate its effectiveness and application in secondary care for cardiovascular patients.

The HEARTWISE study aims to recruit 3,000 patients aged 18 to 80 from six public hospitals and aims to improve cardiovascular disease risk assessment, enhance primary and secondary prevention strategies, promote personalised healthcare, and lead to improved use of medication.

A pilot study conducted in a District Health Centre setting, involving 20 patients (of whom 15 attended follow-up visits), found 80 per cent of the participants reported having a better understanding of their risk profile thanks to the tool, leading to improved use of medication.

Professor Chui said, “The pilot study represents a significant step towards enhancing community-based healthcare services in the region, with the ultimate goal being to alleviate the healthcare burden and reduce public health costs associated with chronic disease management.” She added, “Applying the ‘predict and prevent’ approach in cardiovascular disease management could reduce the mortality rate by 25 per cent.” She hoped the AI-powered tool could be used in all Hong Kong public hospitals as early as 2028.

(RTHK English news, scmp.com, TVB.com, Now.com, i-Cable, RTHK, 881903.com, Metroradio, Ming Pao, on.cc, Sing Tao Daily Web, Headline Daily Web, Wenweipo Web, HKCD, topick.hket.com, HK01, bastillepost.com, Hong Kong China News Agency, South China Morning Post, The Standard, Ming Pao Daily News, Oriental Daily News, Sing Tao Daily, Hong Kong Economic Times, Sing Pao, Ta Kung Pao, Wen Wei Po, am730 – September 22, 2024; The Times, Life News Agency – September 23, 2024; The Express, RTHK《千禧年代》– September 25, 2024; The Chronicle – September 26, 2024; MIMS.com – October 3, 2024; RTHK《精靈一點》– November 11, 2024)

Scholar worries that tax reduction on liquor is a step back

The government’s October Policy Address announced that the tax on liquor would be reduced as a measure to promote trade growth. In a recent TV programme, Professor Derek Cheung Yee-tak, Assistant Professor, expressed concern that this is a step-back approach, given the World Health Organization advocates increased taxes as the most effective strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm. Professor Cheung recommended measures such as limiting alcohol sales points and implementing alcohol labelling requirements to reduce alcohol-related harm.

(Now News – October 18, 2024)

Challenges faced by breastfeeding mothers and adequacy of support in promoting exclusive breastfeeding

In a recent television programme, Professor Kris Lok Yuet-wan, Assistant Professor, highlighted the challenges faced by breastfeeding mothers and the support needed to promote exclusive breastfeeding. Professor Lok was a breastfeeding mother herself who had personal experience of these challenges. She noted that the HKU School of Nursing team is conducting interviews with breastfeeding moms to assess their support requirements, with Nursing students conducting fieldwork across Hong Kong to gather data, including taking photos of breastfeeding facilities. She also pointed out that since the “Breastfeeding GPS” search app was launched in September 2022, it has garnered 13,000 users and led to societal improvements, such as the availability of properly-equipped nursery rooms in malls with more spacious areas for mothers with infants.

(Now News “Now Report” – November 4, 2024)

Advancing healthy ageing in response to a global ageing population

In response to World Health Organization (WHO)’s initiative for 2021 to 2030 – “UN Decade of Healthy Ageing” – Professor Doris Yu Sau-fung and her team conducted a comprehensive health assessment of 11,467 older adults in Hong Kong from 2022 to 2024. The findings revealed that around 40% of participants had suboptimal physical activity or sleep quality, 30% had lower cognitive abilities, 20% experienced hearing or vision issues, and around 15% faced depression and malnutrition issues.

With the support of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the team has adopted the WHO's Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) framework and launched the “Jockey Club Pathway to Healthy Ageing Project”. Nearly 2,800 older adults who exhibited reduced physical function in the initial health assessment have been invited to participate. Led by nurses, the programme conducts health assessment, develops personalised case management plans, and organises health promotion activities to improve the health lifestyles of the older adults. Many participants have shown significant improvements in their physical functions in the preliminary analysis. Importantly, the nurses are assisted in executing the programme by 450 trained retirees, who are “Ageing Ambassadors”. This group serves as a vital community resource for promoting healthy aging in society.

(am730 – November 11, 2024)

Climate change and elderly health

The older adults are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts arising from climate change in both cold and hot weather. Occasional extremely cold days and sudden changes in temperature can be significantly harmful. When older people are accustomed to warmer winters, a sudden drop in temperature may lead to delayed bodily responses, increasing the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. On the other hand, climate warming is expected to bring more extreme events, such as heavy rains and frequent severe typhoons. These conditions not only disrupt the daily lives of the older adults but may also interrupt or delay crucial medical and social welfare services.

Professor Patsy Chau Pui-hing, Associate Professor, offered coping advice. “We recommend that the older adults maintain sufficient food and medicine reserves at home for emergencies. At the same time, pay attention to weather reports to detect sudden changes in weather as early as possible. Utilising the HK Observatory’s mobile app can track the weather in different regions and help people to be prepared. Furthermore, caregivers and neighbours can provide mutual help and care for the physical and mental health of the older adults.” Professor Chau added, “The impact of climate warming on the older adults cannot be ignored. All sectors of society should work together to address this challenge, from crisis prevention to post-event support, to create a safer and healthier living environment for the older adults.”

(am730 – November 18, 2024)