Leisure participation amongst Hong Kong Chinese older adults

Gerontologists have recognised the important Influence of leisure activity on the mental and physical health of older adults. To date, however, there have been few studies of the patterns of participation in leisure activity among older adults in Hong Kong. This study examines a large representative sample of Hong Kong older adults and the associations between their socio-economic and health characteristics and their leisure activities. The data are from a cross-sectional survey of 2,180 respondents aged 60 or more years, conducted in 2000 by the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department. There were full records for 2,144 respondents. Among the participation rates in the seven categories of leisure activities, watching television or listening to radio was the highest, while the lowest was for playing mahjong or cards. The characteristics that significantly correlated with the level of participation differed by the activity. Although no consistent pattern emerged, gender, education, employment status, receiving welfare benefits, self-rated health and functional impairment were the strongest correlates for most types of leisure activity. The paper is concluded by comparing the results with previous findings, and by discussing the service implications of the findings, the limitations of the study, and directions for future research. © 2004 Cambridge University Press.published_or_final_versio

Correlates of Quality of Life in New Migrants to Hong Kong from Mainland China

The concept of Quality of life (QOL) has received considerable attention from different disciplines. The aim of this study was to identify what are the correlates of QOL among Chinese new immigrants in Hong Kong. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey among 449 Hong Kong new immigrants from Mainland China. Bivariate and multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the association between immigrants' QOL and their demographic characteristics, socio-economic factors, optimism, sense of control, perceived social support, perceived neighborhood disorder, collective efficacy, pre-migration planning, depressive symptoms and acculturation stress. Our findings demonstrated that depressive symptom is the most prominent factor in reducing immigrants' level of QOL, perceived social support and optimism are the two important factors that enhance the QOL of these depressed immigrants. Our results indicate that preventive measures must be developed, and professional counseling and psychological support services must be provided to new immigrants in Hong Kong, especially those who have depressive symptoms. © 2011 The Author(s).published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201

Emotional Autonomy and Problem Behavior among Chinese Adolescents

The author examined the association between emotional autonomy and problem behavior among Chinese adolescents living in Hong Kong. The respondents were 512 adolescents, 16 to 18 years of age, who were interviewed for a cross-sectional study. Three dimensions of emotional autonomy including individuation, nondependency on parents, and de-idealization of parents were significantly and positively correlated with the amount of problem behavior the participants engaged in during the past 6 months. Using a simple linear multiple regression model, the author found that problem behavior was associated with only one aspect of emotional autonomy - individuation. Results indicated that the relationship between problem behavior and three aspects of emotional autonomy was similar in both individualistic and collectivistic societies.published_or_final_versio

Effects of Age, Gender, and Participation in Volunteer Activities on the Altruistic Behavior of Chinese Adolescents

Possible associations of gender, age, and participation in volunteer activities with altruistic behavior of Chinese adolescents were investigated. A representative sample of 1,105 Hong Kong Chinese adolescents (457 boys, 648 girls) were recruited from 20 schools. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that there was a positive age effect on altruistic behavior. In addition, a positive association between self-reported altruistic behavior and frequency of participation in volunteer activities was found. No gender differences were found.published_or_final_versio

Validity and normative data for thirty-second chair stand test in elderly community-dwelling Hong Kong Chinese

It is important to establish valid field measures of lower body strength in the elderly, and to provide representative normative values that are culturally specific in order to help health professionals in the risk assessment of this group. A sample of 1,038 elderly Hong Kong Chinese undertook a 30-sec chair stand test (30CST), with a subsample of 143 completing isometric measures of maximal hip flexion and knee extension, plus a habitual physical activity questionnaire. The 30CST was significantly, yet only weakly, correlated with the isometric strength measures (r ∼ 0.3-0.4), but accurately discriminated between levels of habitual physical activity and across ages in decades. The normative values generated provide useful data for health screening in this elderly Hong Kong population, but do not compare well with their healthier US counterparts. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.postprin

Patterns of physical exercise and contributing factors among Hong Kong older adults

Key Messages 1. Studies suggest that regular physical activity and exercise offer a significant opportunity to enhance years of active independent life for older individuals. However, the majority of local respondents have a relatively sedentary lifestyle and were not getting adequate physical activity and exercise, though many recognised the health benefits of being active. 2. Compared with their relatively active American counterparts, in terms of strength, flexibility and agility, the respondents of this study fared unfavourably, with mean values in the 20-30 percentile score or lower. 3. More than 80% of elderly adults regularly participated in sports activities, the majority of whom engaged in only a low-to-moderate level of physical exercise mainly due to limited choices and time allocation for such activity. Nearly 17% of the respondents engaged in walking as a leisure activity; a substantial proportion included completion of their household activities (shopping, visiting friends) in what they termed ‘walking’. As walking confers many health benefits, its promotion in the immediate environments of the elderly is practical and undoubtedly health enhancing. 4. Findings suggested that cognitive-perceptual factors, ie perceived ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of doing exercise, selfefficacy of exercise, stages of change and perceived barriers to exercise were all influential variables contributing to engagement in sports activity. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the causal and temporal relations between these variables. 5. Health promotion programmes to educate older adults about the benefits of engaging in physical activity with respect to their self-efficacy are crucial. Education can enhance individual’s knowledge and/or awareness concerning the health benefits of physical activity and exercise. Those who are deprived and less educated should receive more attention from policymakers and service providers.published_or_final_versio

Roles of Education and IQ in Cognitive Reserve in Parkinson's Disease-Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Background/aimsThe role of cognitive reserve in Parkinson's disease (PD)-mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is incompletely understood.MethodsThe relationships between PD-MCI, years of education, and estimated premorbid IQ were examined in 119 consecutive non-demented PD patients using logistic regression models.ResultsHigher education and IQ were associated with reduced odds of PD-MCI in univariate analysis. In multivariable analysis, a higher IQ was associated with a significantly decreased odds of PD-MCI, but education was not.ConclusionThe association of higher IQ and decreased odds of PD-MCI supports a role for cognitive reserve in PD, but further studies are needed to clarify the interaction of IQ and education and the impact of other contributors such as employment and hobbies

Pedometry and 'peer support' in older Chinese adults: a 12-month cluster randomised controlled trial

Session - Exercise/RehabilitationResearch Dissemination ReportsThere is a need to increase physical activity to attenuate age-related morbidity. This 12-month factorial design cluster trial randomized 399 volunteers from 24 centres to buddy peer support, pedometry, or control group. Data were anaysed using last-observation carried-forward and intention-to-treat methods. Compared to the controls, participants in the pedometry group increased their levels of physical activity energy expenditure significantly, as did those in the buddy group. As recorded by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire [IPAQ], the respective increases amounted to 1820 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1360-2290) and 1260 (95% CI, 780-17 460) metabolic equivalent of task (MET).min.wk-1. The buddy group also had significantly improved aerobic fitness after adjustment for body weight (12%; 95% CI, 4-21%), but this did not attain significance in the pedometry group (7%; 95% CI, -1 to 15%). Our results suggest that recourse to pedometers and the buddy peer support system is simple means of increasing physical activity in older subjects.published_or_final_versio

Effects of built environment on walking among Hong Kong older adults

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Debilitating consequences of drooling

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