An exploratory study on the elders\u27 needs and attitudes towards radio programmes

Not many studies in the literature were to investigate the positive impacts of radio on health of the elderly in Hong Kong. If listening to radio has a positive impact on older people’s health, there would be important implications to the social services in Hong Kong, with regard to further studies on an in-depth understanding of this issue and policy recommendations for the Hong Kong government to improve social services of the elderly population. In light of the above rationale, the present study was designed to explore the qualitative impacts of listening radio on the well-being of elderly people in Hong Kong. The specific aims of the study were: 1. to explore the profile and the listening patterns of elderly audiences; 2. to explore the preference and needs of the elderly audience on radio programme in HK; 3. to explore impacts of the radio programmes on elderly’s life satisfaction and the quality of life. 4. to explore the notions of lifelong learning through the medium, which Radio 5 is serving such a function

An evaluation study on the elderly housing initiative in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) of the Hong Kong Government launched the Senior Citizen Residence Scheme (SEN) in 2001 to provide housing units for the middle-class elders aged 60 and above, who have pre-set limits of asset and guaranteed income (Hong Kong Housing Society, n.d.). As a result, two public estates came into operation one year after in 2002. At present, a total of about 800 elders live in these two estates. The present study is under the auspices of the HKHS to evaluate the satisfaction of the residents in the two estates, to make recommendations on the improvement of the residence services and the living conditions in the two estates, and to make recommendations on future development of the SEN project. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were adopted in the present study. First of all, a total of seven focus-group sessions, within each having 8-10 elders led by an experienced facilitator, were conducted to collect information on residents’ satisfaction on their living environment and the provision rendered in the housing estates. The members of the focus group consisted of males and females, younger and older elderly persons, and were selected from the healthy and active residents in the two housing estates. Secondly, three independent observers were appointed to sit in the focus-group discussion and daily routine activities and meetings taken part by the residents of the housing estates. The observers submitted their observation reports of residents’ views on their living environment and the provision rendered in the housing estates as well as the interaction in their communication. Thirdly, an accessible sample was drawn from all target residents through a face-to-face questionnaire survey. Since some residents were either reluctant to be interviewed or having difficulties to answer questions due to poor health, all other residents were interviewed by trained staff. The findings of the study are as follows: 1. In general, the majority of the residents living in the two Housing Estates are satisfied with the management, the facilities and the services provided. 2. There are differences in the domains of satisfaction between the residents in the two Housing Estates. Specifically, the Cheerful Court (one of the two Housing Estates) residents are more satisfied with their living environment whereas the Jolly Place (another one of the two Housing Estates) residents are happier with the basic optional services provided for them. 3. Improvement on the particulars of the facilities and services provided in the two Housing Estates, as shown in the analysis results, should be made in order to raise the satisfaction level of the residents

Validation of Chinese Multidimensional Depression Assessment Scale (MDAS) in Inner Mongolia pregnant women and risk factors of antenatal depression in Inner Mongolia in the era of one-child policy

BACKGROUND:Pregnancy involves physiological changes in reproductive and endocrine systems, and social role changes that can increase the risk of mental health problems. In China, greater emphasis has been given to postpartum depression and its negative impact on infant development. This study examined depression in pregnant women in Inner Mongolia, who are under the influence of cultural values of collectivism and social factors specific to China. Chinese society adheres firmly to traditional values, while market reform, birth-control policy, together with high parental investment in childcare and rearing construct a unique and sometimes unfavorable environment for Chinese women that may influence their depression expression. THE AIMS OF THIS STUDY ARE TWOFOLD:First, it validated the Chinese Multidimensional Depression Assessment Scale (MDAS), a holistic self-report questionnaire measuring depression severity in four domains of depression-emotional, somatic, cognitive and interpersonal in pregnant women in Inner Mongolia; second, it examined the influences of demographic characteristics (including age, education and employment), pregnancy characteristics (week of gestation, first pregnancy), self-esteem, social support, social activity, work stress, and work-family balance on depression. METHODS:A total of 234 pregnant women, mostly in their third trimester, were recruited in an antenatal hospital in Inner Mongolia and self-reported questionnaires were completed. RESULTS:Using Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), MDAS gave rise to a best-fit four-factor model corresponding to each subscale when it was first developed. MDAS also reported high Cronbach's alpha (0.96) and good convergent validity. Using hierarchical multiple linear regressions with significant demographic variables controlled for, self-esteem, work-family conflict, and social support were found to be significant predictors for depression. CONCLUSIONS:MDAS is a valid scale to be used with Chinese pregnant women, especially in more collectivistic geographical areas. Risk factors specific to the Chinese context add insights to the experience of antenatal depression in China and contribute to understanding depression in from a global mental health perspective

An exploratory study of pet raising and health of the elderly people in Hong Kong

Introduction: Pets such as dogs, cats and fish were popular in many other countries (Marx et al., 1988; Gammonley, 1991; Brodie & Biley, 1999; PIAS, 2002). In Hong Kong, pet owners increased to 0.26 million (Census and Statistics Department, 2006). Dating back to 1980s, a research study reported the association between pet ownerships and health benefits for humans (McNicholas et al., 2005). According to the report, domesticated pets brought a sense of companionship and provided pet owners with pleasure. These pets could be tools for enhancing human social relationship and could also provide their owners with emotional comfort. Recent studies also revealed that the influence of the complex and rich relationship between pets and owners might far surpass daily pleasure in terms of improving physical, psychological and mental health of the elderly (Serpell, 1991; Garrity et al., 1989; Murrell et al., 1983). 1.2. Objectives : Not many studies in the literature were to investigate the positive impacts of pet raising on health of the elderly in Hong Kong. If pet raising had a positive impact on older people’s health, there would be important implications to the health services in Hong Kong, with regard to further studies on an in-depth understanding of this issue and policy recommendations for the Hong Kong government to improve the health services of the elderly population. In light of the above rationale, the present study was designed to explore the qualitative impacts of pet raising on well-being of the elderly people in Hong Kong. The specific aims of the study were: To explore the value of pet raising as perceived by the elderly people in Hong Kong; To explore the impacts of pet raising on the physical, psychological and overall life satisfaction of the elderly people in Hong Kong; To identify the critical factors influencing the physical, psychological and overall life satisfaction of the elderly people in Hong Kong; and To make suggestions to policy makers regarding effective health services for the elderly people in Hong Kong

太陽鳥神話中的各種母題

中國各民族中都存在著不少鳥神話，而且這些鳥神話更與太陽崇拜相關，因此在此報告中，筆者會集中討論中國太陽鳥神話中的不同母題

Service learning among university students through working with South Asian children

The benefits of service learning for the intellectual and personal development of students have been discussed in the past few decades. Jacoby (1996) defines service learning as, “a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities intentionally designed to promote student learning and development”. The idea of using a service-learning approach in teaching curricula is “far from new” (Gray et al, 2000) and the scope of it has been expanding substantially in tertiary education overseas, though it is still not pervasive in Hong Kong. The Lingnan Angels is a service-learning programme designed to offer opportunities for Lingnan University students to learn through serving South Asian children. The programme design has been based on the experiential learning theory (ELT), which is commonly adopted as the theoretical underpinning for service learning (Sheckley & Keetom, 1997). This is a pilot programme for university students in Hong Kong, which was launched by APIAS, Lingnan University, in September 2002. The objectives of the programme are as follows, 1. To provide training and service-learning opportunities for a group of university students in Hong Kong; 2. To examine the learning process and impacts on studetns through serving deprived children in local primary schools; and 3. To explore any implications of service-learning programmes for the university students in Hong Kong

Electrodynamics of Media

Contains reports on four research projects.Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAB07-74-C-0630)California Institute of Technology (Contract 953524

Shaolin Dan Tian Breathing Fosters Relaxed and Attentive Mind: A Randomized Controlled Neuro-Electrophysiological Study

Neuro-electrophysiological studies on meditative breathing revealed its association with either a relaxed or an attentive state. The present study aimed to investigate whether the Shaolin Dan Tian Breathing (DTB) technique, which consists of the Passive and Active subtypes and can be considered as a relaxation exercise and Qigong, would induce both relaxed and attentive states. Twenty-two adults and 22 age-, gender- and education-matched controls received training on the Shaolin DTB (experimental group) and the progressive muscle relaxation respectively for one month. Eyes-closed resting EEG data before and immediately after each type of breathing were obtained individually at baseline and after one-month training. At baseline, the EEG changes after the Shaolin DTB between both groups were comparable. After one-month training, participants in the experimental, but not the control, group showed enhanced temporal alpha asymmetry (an index of relaxation and positive mood) after performing the Passive DTB for five minutes, and enhanced intra- and inter-hemispheric theta coherence (an index of attention and alertness) after performing the Active DTB. The present findings suggested a positive effect of the Shaolin DTB technique on enhancing human neural activity and connectivity, which may possibly enhance mood state and cognitive functions