Vibrations Caused by Pile Driving

Ground vibrations caused by impact were measured at two sites; one consisting of sand and the other of clay. Measurements were made at various radial distances from the impact location. The impact was produced by a weight falling either on to a plate or on to a rod partly driven into the ground, the latter case simulating pile driving on a small scale. When expressed in terms of scaled energy, the measured peak particle velocities were in reasonable agreement with some of the published data for clay sites but the agreement was poorer for sand sites. Several theoretical expressions were developed for peak particle velocity for both body and Rayleigh waves. All of these expressions yielded calculated velocities that were considerably greater than the values observed. It is considered that at least some of the disagreement could be attributed to energy losses

Frequency and accuracy of weight comments by others, and the association with weight misperception among Hong Kong adolescents

*Purpose:* To assess the frequency and accuracy of weight comments received from different sources among Chinese adolescents and the relation of weight comments to weight misperception.

*Methods:* In the Hong Kong Student Obesity Surveillance (HKSOS) project 2006-07, 22612 form 1 to 7 students (41.5% boys) completed a questionnaire on obesity. Students were asked if they had received serious "too fat" or "too thin" comments over the past 30 days from family members, peers and professionals, and the accuracy of the comments was assessed against the actual weight status. Weight misperception was defined as discordance between the actual and perceived weight status. Logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odd ratios (ORs) for weight misperception by weight comments received.

*Results:* One in three students received weight comments, most commonly from mother for both "too fat" and "too thin" comments. Health professional was the most accurate source of weight comments, yet less than half the comments were correct. Receiving incorrect weight comments was significantly associated with weight misperception in all sex-weight status sub-groups, particularly among obese girls. In contrast, student who received correct weight comments were less likely to have weight misperception.

*Conclusions:* Weight comments were commonly received by Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong, yet most of the comments were inaccurate, and such incorrect comments were associated with weight misperception. Family members, peers and professionals should realize the potential adverse effects of their weight comments and adolescents should be taught how to correctly assess their weight status to reduce misperceptions

Validation and application of health utilities index in Chinese subjects with down syndrome

Objectives: The objectives of the study were (1) to validate the Chinese version of Health Utilities Index (HUI-Ch); (2) to examine the Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of Chinese subjects with Down syndrome (DS); and (3) to study the impact of chronic health conditions on HRQoL of Chinese with DS. Methods: The multiple choice questionnaire for scoring Health Utilities Index Mark 2 (HUI2) and Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3) was translated and validated. In addition to the HRQoL scores from HUI2 and HUI3, proxy-data on socio-demographics, and 10 common chronic health conditions for people with DS were collected and analyzed. Data analysis involves multiple imputation and multiple regression analysis to predict variations in HRQoL in relation to different factors. Lastly, a gradient interval was constructed on the number of chronic health conditions in relation to HRQoL. Results: HUI-Ch was validated according to standard guidelines. People with DS were found to have a lower HRQoL as compared to the general population, with the majority categorized as moderate or severe on the scale. Behavioral and hearing problems on HUI2, and hearing problems on HUI3 were found to be statistically significant predictors of a lower HRQoL score. A significant gradient relationship existed showing when the number of health problems increased, the HRQoL scores decreased. Conclusions: HUI-Ch is a valid instrument to assess HRQoL. It can have broad application in Chinese subjects with DS including the study of the impact of different chronic health conditions on their quality of life. The quantifiable nature of HUI-Ch will facilitate longitudinal study on the well-being of subjects with DS and evaluation of effectiveness of intervention programs in the near future

Effectiveness of a technology-based injury prevention program for enhancing mothers’ knowledge of child safety: protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Provision of anticipatory guidance for parents is recommended as an effective strategy to prevent injuries among young children. Technology-based anticipatory guidance has been suggested to reinforce the effectiveness of injury prevention and improve parents’ knowledge of child safety. Objective: This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a technology-based injury prevention program with parental anticipatory guidance for enhancing mothers’ knowledge of child safety. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 308 mothers will be recruited from the antenatal clinics and postnatal wards of two major public hospitals in Hong Kong. Participating mothers will be randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. Mothers in the intervention group will be given free access to a technology-based injury prevention program with anticipatory guidance, whereas mothers in the control group will be given a relevant booklet on parenting. The injury prevention program, available as a website or on a mobile app, includes behavioral components based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. The primary outcome measure will be the change in the mother’s knowledge of child safety. The secondary outcome measures will be age-appropriate domestic safety knowledge, attitudes, intentions, perceived behavioral control, and self-reported behavior related to home safety practice. We will also determine dose-response relationships between the outcome measures and the website and mobile app usage. Results: Enrolment of participants will begin in October 2016. Results are expected by June 2018. Conclusions: Parents will be able to easily access the domestic injury prevention website to find information regarding child injury prevention. It is anticipated that the technology-based intervention will help parents improve their knowledge of child safety and raise their awareness about the consequences of domestic injuries and the importance of prevention. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02835768; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02835768 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation/6lbXYM6b9)

Fall-related attendance and associated hospitalisation of children and adolescents in Hong Kong: a 12-year retrospective study

Objectives: The present study aimed to examine the trends and characteristics of fall-related attendance in accident and emergency department (AED) by injury type and the trend in associated average length of stay (LOS) among children and adolescents in Hong Kong. Design: A retrospective approach was adopted. Setting: AED, involving all local public emergency departments from 2001 to 2012. Participants: 63 557 subjects aged 0–19 years with fall injury record were included in the analysis. Primary outcome measures: Fall-related injury number and rates were calculated and reported. Poisson and negative binomial regression models were used to study the trends of injury incidence rate at different body regions. Results: AED fall-related attendance rate increased significantly with an annual percentage change of 4.45 (95% CI 3.43 to 5.47%, p<0.0001). The attendance number of male subjects was persistently higher than female subjects. The standardised rate of fracture injury increased by 1.31% (95% CI 0.56 to 2.05%, p<0.0001) and that of non-fracture injury increased by 9.23% (95% CI 7.07 to 11.43%, p<0.0001) annually. Upper limb was the most frequently fractured location. It included forearm/elbow, shoulder/upper arm and wrist/hand with descending order of frequency. On the contrary, head was the most frequent non-fracture location, followed by forearm/elbow. Conclusions: The rates of fall-related attendance have been increasing and still remain high. There were significant increases in non-fracture injuries. Fractures were most frequently found in the upper extremity of a child while the most common non-fracture location was head. It appears that more efforts should be made and preventive measures should be implemented for children and adolescents in Hong Kong

Integrating Complementary Medicine Into the Care of Childhood Cancer Survivors: A Brief Report on the Preliminary Framework and Implementation of an Educational Program

BackgroundExisting educational programs typically include limited information on traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) for survivors of childhood cancer.ObjectivesThis brief report presents the preliminary results of an educational program that aims to promote the safe and effective use of Chinese medicine (CM) among survivors in Hong Kong.MethodsSurvivors of childhood cancer, their caregivers, and oncology practitioners were invited to participate in a program that consists of two didactic seminars and a written educational booklet that disseminated information on the use of CM. A structured questionnaire was used to evaluate participants' receptivity toward and perceived relevance of the program. The Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework was used to discuss the impact of the intervention.ResultsReach: A total of 174 participants attended the seminars, and the seminar recording received over 380 views on social media platforms since April 2021. The hardcopy of the educational booklet was distributed to 43 recipients. The web-version of the booklet was sent to 67 participants and downloaded 143 times. Efficacy: The majority found that the content of the seminar useful (mean score = 5.04/6 points), especially the CM exercise (mean score = 4.88/6 points) and dietary advice (mean score = 4.99/6 points). Intention to adopt: The survivors (or their caregivers) reported that they would adopt advice on food therapies (83.3%) and traditional Chinese health exercises (55.6%) during survivorship.ConclusionThe preliminary data on patient preferences will be applied to further develop educational materials and to establish a TCIM referral network within the cancer survivor community

Does obesity persist from childhood to adolescence? A 4-year prospective cohort study of Chinese students in Hong Kong

Background: Little is known about the progression of obesity from childhood to adolescence. This study aimed to longitudinally examine the obesity status in a cohort of children across their childhood and adolescence, and to identify the factors associated with persistent obesity. Methods: The study used data from School Physical Fitness Award Scheme (SPFAS), a population-based programme in Hong Kong primary and secondary schools. Students were included if they participated in the SPFAS in both 2014 (Primary 1 and 2) and 2018 (Primary 5 and 6). Their anthropometric and physical fitness parameters were analyzed. Results: A total of 18,863 students were included. The baseline prevalence of obesity was 5.7 %. After 4 years, the prevalence increased to 6.7 %. Among those with obesity at baseline, 35.3 % remained obese after 4 years. The addition of baseline physical fitness level did not improve the prediction for persistent obesity. Conclusions: One-third of obese students in junior primary school remained to be obese into adolescence. Their baseline physical fitness level did not improve the predictive value for future obesity. Further studies should investigate the prognostic factors that may influence the natural course of childhood obesity

A handbook for using elder academy as a platform of other learning experiences

This handbook will discuss how school syllabus, Other Learning Experiences (OLE) and Elder Academy (EA) can be integrated. It will provide some structures for schools as a reference and help develop a comprehensive learning plan. Besides, the handbook will mention different roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, as well as the suggestions and guidelines for assessment. The programs and activities in the “Elder Academy at Lingnan” will be taken as examples to demonstrate the guidelines. This can provide a better understanding of the operation mode of the integration between school curricula, OLE and EA. Hence, interested stakeholders can perform their own plans more systematically and effectively.https://commons.ln.edu.hk/osl_book/1000/thumbnail.jp

The epidemiology of COVID-19 cases and the successful containment strategy in Hong Kong-January to May 2020

BACKGROUND: Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China, recorded its first confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case on 23 January 2020. We reviewed the case epidemiology and the various public health measures implemented from January to May 2020. METHODS: The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the cases recorded in different phases of the epidemic were described and compared, and the effectiveness of the public health measures implemented were reviewed using the changes in the daily number of confirmed cases and the interval from symptom onset to hospital admission. RESULTS: Between January and May 2020, 1084 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported, about 70% of which had a history of travel during the incubation period. The case fatality ratio was 0.4%. The local epidemic progressed through four phases: (1) preparedness and imported infection from mainland China, (2) local transmission, (3) imported infection from overseas countries associated with local transmission, and (4) controlled imported infection with limited local transmission, with an eventual reduction of the daily case number and minimization of the onset-to-admission interval. Various public health measures, including enhanced surveillance, border control, and social distancing, were introduced in phases in response to the prevailing local and global situations. DISCUSSION: The overall containment strategy in Hong Kong led to a stabilization of the number of cases and the absence of a community-wide outbreak during the 4.5 m after the first case was reported. This strategy of containment might serve as an example for future planning of preparedness and response against novel infectious agents

Elder academy : curriculum design and operation model = 長者學苑 : 課程設計與運作模式

Ever since the launching of the Elder Academy in 2007, numerous schools have joined the fray bringing with them valuable innovations, presenting the elderly and students with a wide variety of educational activities. The experiences of the Elder Academy at Lingnan and other academies are summarized in this handbook, in order to provide a frame of reference and an operation guide for other schools and organizations, so that they may design their own comprehensive teaching and learning plans. In this handbook, the roles and responsibilities of participating organizations are explained, and there are guidelines and suggestions regarding assessment methods. Apart from the instructions on teaching and learning activities, examples of course syllabi and activities are also included to offer some insights into the operation of the schools and their courses, allowing institutions to better carry out similar projects in a more systematic manner.https://commons.ln.edu.hk/osl_book/1001/thumbnail.jp