Jockey Club initiative finds room for improvement in family health

12/21/2011

Sixty per cent of Hong Kong families are healthy, according to a citywide household survey of more than 8,000 families, including nearly 19,000 family members.  The findings have been announced today (21 December) by Hong Kong University’s School of Public Health under the FAMILY: A Jockey Club Initiative for a Harmonious Society project.

Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the survey covered lifestyle, eating habits, healthy status and relationships between family members as part of the Club’s initiatives to further promote the message of health, happiness and harmony (3Hs) among families in the community. While 60% of the surveyed families received a pass grade on health, less than 10% achieved a very healthy status. In addition, 90% of Hong Kong people do not have adequate vegetables and fruit in their diets and 30% are considered obese.

 “We believe prevention is the best cure, that’s why the Jockey Club has initiated the FAMILY Project,” said Jockey Club Executive Director, Charities, Douglas So. “We hope to raise awareness of the importance of family life in hectic cities like Hong Kong, so as to foster healthy family lifestyle. We encourage everyone to exercise regularly with their families and develop healthy eating habits.”

From March 2009 to March 2011, the baseline household survey under the FAMILY Project randomly selected samples from the general population to devise a health index named the “10-point Healthy Living Index” (HELI) to assess public health status. The HELI consisted of two categories, healthy lifestyles and healthy status, with 10 points as the highest score and 6 points as a pass. The definition of healthy lifestyles included smoking and drinking habits, physical activities and vegetable and fruit intake, while healthy status covered Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood pressure.

FAMILY Project Principal Investigator Prof T H Lam said 64% of Hong Kong people passed with 6 points, and nearly 24% received 8 points or above, indicating that they are very healthy. On a family basis, 60% of the families pass the index, but less than 10% of families can be regarded as very healthy. “From the preliminary results, 90% of Hong Kong people have inadequate vegetables and fruit intake. About 30% exercise for at least 2.5 hours per week, while 30% were considered obese.”

Prof Lam suggested family members to eat more vegetables and fruits, exercise more and work closely to achieve healthy lifestyles. Simple solutions are to walk more and refer to the “Happy Family Cookbook” published by the FAMILY Project team for healthy cooking ideas. 

FAMILY: A Jockey Club Initiative for a Harmonious Society is a citywide project launched by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust with HK$250 million funding, in collaboration with the School of Public Health of The University of Hong Kong.  The project aims to identify the sources of family problems, devise suitable preventive measures and promote the “3Hs” through a citywide household survey, intervention projects and public education programmes.  Further details of FAMILY are available at www.family.org.hk.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has become one of Hong Kong’s best known and respected organisations, providing the public with world-class sporting entertainment as well as being the city’s major non-Government community benefactor, now donating more than HK$1 billion a year to charitable and community projects.  It has been a part of Hong Kong through good times and bad, sharing the city’s growth and development with its people, and is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for future generations.

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FAMILY Cohort Study Press Conference