Green Design and Construction of Site Offices

Research study and development of green site offices in Hong Kong. Green features include green roof, daylighting, energy efficiency, waste management, material reusepublished_or_final_versionhttp://www.hku.hk/bse/greensiteoffice/index.htm

Social patterning in adiposity in adolescence: prospective observations from the chinese birth cohort ‘‘Children of 1997’’

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Regional variations in the ocean response to tropical cyclones: Ocean mixing versus low cloud suppression

Tropical cyclones (TCs) tend to cool sea surface temperature (SST) via enhanced vertical mixing and evaporative fluxes. This cooling is substantially reduced in the subtropics, especially in the northeastern Pacific where the occurrence of TCs can warm the ocean surface. Here we investigate the cause of this anomalous warming by analyzing the local oceanic features and TC-induced anomalies of SST, surface fluxes, and cloud fraction using satellite and in situ data. We find that TCs tend to suppress low clouds at the margins of the tropical ocean warm pool, enhancing shortwave radiative surface fluxes within the first week following storm passage, which, combined with spatial variations in ocean thermal structure, can produce a ~1°C near-surface warming in the northeastern Pacific. These findings, supported by high-resolution Earth system model simulations, point to potential connections between TCs, ocean temperature, and low cloud distributions that can influence tropical surface heat budgets

Infant growth during the first year of life and age at puberty onset: Hong Kong’s "Children of 1997" birth cohort

published_or_final_version6th World Congress on Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, Santiago, Chile, 19 - 22 November 2009. In Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, 2009, v. 1 n. S1, p. S13

Prevalence of allergic rhinitis and its associated morbidity in adults with asthma: A multicentre study

Objectives To assess the prevalence of allergic rhinitis in adult patients with asthma in Hong Kong, and to compare the morbidity endured by asthma patients with and without allergic rhinitis. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Respiratory clinics of four major public hospitals in Hong Kong. Patients A total of 600 adults with asthma were recruited from March to May 2007. Main outcome measures Doctors and patients completed separate questionnaires evaluating symptoms, treatment, and health care utilisation. Spirometry data were obtained for a subgroup of patients at the time of survey completion. Results The patients consisted of 267 males and 333 females, with 251 having spirometry data. The mean pre-bronchodilator 1-second forced expiratory volume predicted among those who had spirometry performed was 88% (standard deviation, 28%). In all, 50% of the patients had intermittent and 50% had persistent asthma. Over three quarters (463/600; 77%) of patients had experienced allergic rhinitis symptoms in the past 12 months, of whom 96% had a previous diagnosis of allergic rhinitis. Asthmatics without allergic rhinitis symptoms had higher rates of visits to doctors, pharmacy visits, emergency department attendances, and hospitalisations for asthma than those with both conditions. Among subjects with asthma and allergic rhinitis, those taking nasal steroid (226/463; 49%) had lower rates of emergency department visits (13 vs 25%, P=0.002) and hospitalisations (7 vs 13%, P=0.045) for asthma than those who were not. Conclusion Allergic rhinitis is a common co-morbid condition of asthma in this hospital clinic cohort. Treatment of allergic rhinitis with intra-nasal steroid was associated with less health care utilisation for asthma.published_or_final_versio

Short- and medium-term outcomes of accelerated infant growth in a Hong Kong Chinese birth cohort.

1. In a large, population representative,Chinese birth cohort, higher birth weight and rapid growth, particularly at 0-3 months, were associated with higher body mass index (BMI) at 7 years. 2. Boys born heavy who had grown fast had the highest BMI, but rapid growth had the largest impact in lighter-born boys. 3. Rapid growth at 0-3 months or 3-12 months was not associated with a compensatory lower risk of serious infectious morbidity. 4. The ability to grow fast may be an embodiment of good health status, rather than fast growth being causally protective.published_or_final_versio

The Role of Dairy Products and Milk in Adolescent Obesity: Evidence from Hong Kong's "Children of 1997" Birth Cohort

Background: Observational studies, mainly from Western populations, suggest dairy consumption is inversely associated with adiposity. However, in these populations the intake range is limited and both diet and obesity may share social patterning. Evidence from non-Western developed settings with different social patterning, is valuable in distinguishing whether observed associations are biologically mediated or socially confounded. Objective: To examine the associations of milk or other dairy product consumption with adolescent obesity. Methods: We used multivariable linear regression models to examine the associations of milk or other dairy product consumption, obtained from a food frequency questionnaire, at 11 years with body mass index (BMI) z-scores at 13 years and waist hip ratio (WHR) at 11 years, in 5,968 adolescents from a Chinese birth cohort, comprising 88% of births in April and May 1997. We used multiple imputation for missing exposures and confounders. Results: Only 65.7% regularly consumed milk and 72.4% other dairy products. Milk and other dairy product consumption was positively associated with socio-economic position but not with BMI z-score or WHR, with or without adjustment for sex, mother's birthplace, parental education, physical activity and other food consumption. Conclusions: The lack of association of milk and other dairy product consumption with adiposity in a non-Western setting was not consistent with the majority of evidence from Western settings. Observed anti-obesigenic effects in Western settings may be due to socially patterned confounding. © 2012 Lin et al.published_or_final_versio

Factors related to children’s caries: a structural equation modeling approach

BACKGROUND: Dental caries among preschool children is highly prevalent in many less-developed countries. METHODS: A model which explored the factors related to children’s dental caries was tested in this study using structural equation modeling. Caregivers of children aged 5 years were surveyed on their socioeconomic status, and their oral health knowledge, attitudes and practices. In addition, information on their children’s oral health practices, dental insurance and dental service utilization were collected. Examination of caries was conducted on all children who returned fully completed questionnaires. RESULTS: The results showed that socioeconomic factors influenced children’s oral health practices through the impact of caregivers’ oral health knowledge and practices; that caregivers’ oral health knowledge affected children’s oral health practices through the influence of caregivers’ oral health attitudes and practices; and finally, that children’s oral health practices were linked directly to their caries. CONCLUSION: The findings have important applications for promoting policies aimed at advancing children’s oral health

Effects of thermal stress on morality in the older population of Hong Kong

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A wide body of epidemiological evidence demonstrated consistent associations between temperature and daily mortality mainly from ecological time series studies. But few studies have examined these associations in a cohort. METHODS: We used a matched case-control design with time-dependent covariates to assess short-term effects of apparent temperature (AT) on mortality in a cohort of 66,820 persons aged 65 years or older, with a total of 14,446 deaths after about 10 years of follow up. The cases and controls were matched by duration of exposure with adjustment for particulate matter of aero-diameter …postprin