Smoking, passive smoking and histological types in lung cancer in Hong Kong Chinese women.

In a case control study in Hong Kong, 445 cases of Chinese female lung cancer patients all confirmed pathologically were compared with 445 Chinese female healthy neighbourhood controls matched for age. The predominant histological type was adenocarcinoma (47.2%). The relative risk (RR) in ever-smokers was 3.81 (P less than 0.001, 95% CI = 2.86, 5.08). The RRs were statistically significantly raised for all major cell types with significant trends between RR and amount of tobacco smoked daily. Among never smoking women, RR for passive smoking due to a smoking husband was 1.65 (P less than 0.01, 95% CI = 1.16, 2.35) with a significant trend between RR and amount smoked daily by the husband. When broken down by cell types, the numbers were substantial only for adenocarcinoma (RR = 2.12, P less than 0.01, 95% CI = 1.32, 3.39) with a significant trend between RR and amount smoked daily by the husband. The results suggest that passive smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, particularly adenocarcinoma in Hong Kong Chinese women who never smoked

A study of major factors associated with severe occupational hand injury in Hong Kong island

A retrospective study of 383 cases of severe occupational hand injury was carried out in Hong Kong island between September 1979 and October 1980. Among these victims, two groups of workers found specially liable to occupational hand injury were the machine operators with less than 1 year of experience and the new immigrants from China. Inadequacy in training, in safety supervision and in the use of safety devices among machine operators, long working hours in general and the male sex were factors associated with over 50 per cent of the total injuries. Poor machine design, adverse work environment and personal risk factors were associated with only small proportions of occupational injury.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Mental health and work stress: A comparison of response patterns in executive and clerical workers in Hong Kong

Metal health and work stress among 344 clerical (and secretarial) workers and 185 executives (96 managers and 89 executives) in Hong Kong was studied. No overall difference was found between clerical workers and executives in mental health and coping ability when sex was controlled for. Clerical workers, however, reproted fewer interests, more problems in accepting others' values, and more dissatisfaction with work context. Female managers/executives were shown to be a high risk group, reporting more problems in mental health, coping, and work context than their male counterparts. Mental health was strongly associated with each of the work stress factors studied. A significant interaction between sex and nature of job was noted in predictors of mental health. The interaction of coping, context, and mental health is discussed.link_to_subscribed_fulltex