Few studies have reported the cardiovascular health effects of different high-intensity interval training (HIIT) protocols among sedentary young women. We investigated the impact of a traditional ...HIIT programme and a high-intensity circuit training (HICT) programme on lipid profiles and inflammatory cytokine levels in sedentary young women. Forty-two women were randomly assigned to HICT (body weight-based training), HIIT (cycling-based training), or control groups (n = 14 each). HICT and HIIT participants completed an 8-week training programme of three sessions per week. Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride, high- and low-density lipoprotein, leptin, resistin, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-8, and interferon-gamma levels were measured before and after the intervention. Post-intervention, TC and leptin were decreased in the HICT group. The HICT group also demonstrated increased lean mass, upper and lower limb strength, and balance, while the HIIT group displayed improved lower limb strength. Additionally, the control group showed significant increases in triglyceride levels, weight, body mass index, and fat mass. In conclusion, although both HICT and HIIT interventions showed improvements in cardiovascular health and physical fitness, participants in the HICT group experienced more health benefits.
To tackle unhealthy eating among adolescents, it is crucial to understand the dietary knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on which adolescent eating habits are based. This qualitative study ...identifies the gaps in KAP by exploring what Chinese adolescents know, perceive, and practice regarding healthy eating to better inform targeted interventions for this important health problem. Parent–adolescent dyads were purposively sampled based on, for example, the dietary intake, age, and gender of the adolescent and household income, and each completed a 30 to 60 min interview. Twelve themes were synthesized: knowledge: (1) dietary recommendations, (2) health outcomes of healthy eating, (3) nutrition content in food, and (4) access to healthy meals; attitudes: (5) outcome expectation for healthy eating, (6) food preferences, and (7) self-efficacy regarding adopting healthy eating; and practices: (8) going grocery shopping for healthy food, (9) eating home-prepared meals. (10) eating out in restaurants or consuming takeaway food, (11) fruit and vegetable consumption, and (12) snacking, perceived unhealthy eating to be low risk, made unhealthy choices regarding snacking and eating out, and had insufficient fruit and vegetable intake. Programs should emphasize the positive short-term health outcomes of healthy eating and empower adolescents to acquire food preparation skills to sustain healthy eating habits.
Abstract
Background
Hygiene behaviors in public toilets are important to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases, especially during the pandemic. All through the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) ...pandemic, governments in many countries published guidance on personal hygiene for the general population to prevent disease transmission. This study aimed to investigate improvements in residents’ hygiene awareness and behaviors in public toilets before and during the pandemic.
Methods
We recruited 316 residents between November and December 2018 before the pandemic, and 314 residents between December 2020 and January 2021 during the pandemic in the same study sites in Hangzhou, a well-developed city in China. Residents’ hygiene behaviors in public toilets, hygiene awareness, risk perception, and sociodemographic factors were collected. Bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regressions were used to test the differences between the two rounds. We conducted an observational study to record the provision of hygiene amenities at toilets during the pandemic.
Results
After controlling for sociodemographic factors (gender, marital status, age, education level, and monthly household income), compared with respondents recruited before the pandemic, respondents recruited during the pandemic were more likely to perceive the risks of infection when using public toilets (aOR = 1.77, 95%CI 1.20, 2.60), and were more likely to be aware of the risks of touching contaminated toilet facilities (aOR = 1.72, 95%CI 1.17, 2.54) and the risks of not using soap to wash one’s hands after using the toilet (aOR = 1.93, 95%CI 1.38, 2.72). They were more likely to always clean their toilet seat with alcohol (aOR = 1.88, 95%CI 1.01, 3.51), wash hands with soap (aOR = 1.52, 95%CI 1.09, 2.10) and dry their hands with a dryer (aOR = 1.78, 95%CI 1.16, 2.71), but they were less likely to always wash their hands after using the toilets (aOR = 0.57, 95%CI 0.32, 1.00). Among 70 public toilets observed, 9 provided alcohol for toilet seat disinfection, 52 provided soap, 33 provided paper towels, and 41 had working hand dryers.
Conclusions
Despite the overall improvement, residents’ hygiene behaviors in public toilets and the supply of hygiene amenities were still suboptimal during the pandemic. Further hygiene education and an adequate supply of hygiene amenities in public toilets are needed to promote residents’ hygiene behaviors.
Healthy eating is vital in preventing obesity and long-term non-communicable diseases. This study explores potential family facilitators of, barriers to and strategies for healthy eating among ...adolescents in Chinese families to guide the development of effective interventions in the future. Parent-adolescent dyads were purposively sampled by age, gender, fruit and vegetable intake and household income. Key family factors were identified by thematic analysis. Fourteen themes under five domains were identified: family health with (1) illness experienced in the family; parental knowledge of (2) dietary recommendations, (3) the preparation of healthy food and (4) healthy food choice; parental attitudes towards (5) the importance of healthy eating and (6) the priority of family health; socioeconomic factors of (7) time concerns and (8) cost concerns; and food parenting practices in (9) nutritional education, (10) role modeling, (11) food provision, (12) child involvement, (13) parental supervision and (14) the cultivation of food preference. Useful strategies included incorporating healthy ingredients in adolescents' favorite recipes and providing a variety of fruit and vegetables at home. There is a need to empower parents with practical nutrition knowledge, to be more authoritative in food parenting practices, to discuss healthy eating with children and to acquire practical skills related to time- and cost-saving healthy cooking.
ObjectiveSocial distancing is one of the main non-pharmaceutical interventions used in the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. This scoping review aims to synthesise research findings on the ...effectiveness of different types and levels of social distancing measures in the earlier stage of COVID-19 pandemic without the confounding effect of mass vaccination.DesignScoping review.Data sourcesMEDLINE, Embase, Global Health and four other databases were searched for eligible studies on social distancing for COVID-19 published from inception of the databases to 30 September 2020.Study selection and data extractionEffectiveness studies on social distancing between individuals, school closures, workplace/business closures, public transport restrictions and partial/full lockdown were included. Non-English articles, studies in healthcare settings or not based on empirical data were excluded.ResultsAfter screening 1638 abstracts and 8 additional articles from other sources, 41 studies were included for synthesis of findings. The review found that the outcomes of social distancing measures were mainly indicated by changes in Rt, incidence and mortality, along with indirect indicators such as daily contact frequency and travel distance. There was adequate empirical evidence for the effect of social distancing at the individual level, and for partial or full lockdown at the community level. However, at the level of social settings, the evidence was moderate for school closure, and was limited for workplace/business closures as single targeted interventions. There was no evidence for a separate effect of public transport restriction.ConclusionsIn the community setting, there was stronger evidence for the combined effect of different social distancing interventions than for a single intervention. As fatigue of preventive behaviours is an issue in public health agenda, future studies should analyse the risks in specific settings such as eateries and entertainment to implement and evaluate measures which are proportionate to the risk.
Abstract Background Most of the previous studies on help seeking for psychological distress were derived from Western countries. This study investigated the barriers to help-seeking for psychological ...distress among Chinese primary care attenders in Hong Kong. Methods Nine focus groups and 6 individual interviews were conducted among Chinese primary care attenders with/without known distress, patients’ significant others and the general public. The identified barriers were investigated in a questionnaire survey with data from 1626 primary care attenders recruited from 13 private clinics and 6 public clinics. Results Worries about side effects of drugs (79.9%, 95% CI:(77.9%, 81.8%)) and drug dependency (74.7%, 95% CI:(72.5%, 76.8%)) were rated as the top barriers in the survey. Qualitative interviews found both worries and actual experience of the side effects of drugs, which weakened patients’ trust in the treatment. Factor analysis on all barrier items suggested three factors: 1) worries of treatment, 2) uncertainties on primary care physicians’ capacity, 3) public’s limited knowledge on distress and sources of help. Distress level, education level and age were associated with factor 1, whereas distress level and healthcare setting were associated with the other two factors. Qualitative interviews revealed that not having a regular primary care physician in the public setting discouraged disclosure of psychological problems. Limitations The findings were based on self-reported data from the respondents. Hong Kong is influenced by a mixed Chinese and Western culture. Conclusions Relevant public education in a Chinese context should target at reducing patients’ worries of drug treatment and strengthening the image of primary care physicians as a feasible source of help.
To compare the prevalence of anxiety/depression, resilience, and social support among nurses, foreign domestic helpers (FDHs), and residents living in subdivided units (SDUs), and to examine their ...associations in these high-risk groups in Hong Kong during Omicron waves.
We recruited 1,014 nurses, 621 FDHs, and 651 SDU residents from December 2021 to May 2022 in this cross-sectional survey. The depression, anxiety, social support, and resilience levels were measured by the validated scales. The multivariate binary logistic regression and causal mediation analysis were applied to examine the associations.
We observed a prevalence of 17.7% in anxiety and 21.6% in depression which were the highest in SDU residents, followed by FDHs, and lowest in nurses. Social support was associated with increased resilience levels and decreased risks of anxiety/depression. The association of social support with mental disorders was partly mediated by resilience, accounting for 30.9% and 20.9% of the total effect of social support on anxiety and depression, respectively.
Public health strategies should target improving social support and providing resilience-promoting interventions to help reduce mental disorders in vulnerable groups.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is one of the most difficult-to-treat psychiatric disorders. AN is associated with individual vulnerability, societal and family factors. There has been limited research in Asia ...regarding the patients or their families' perceptions on its treatment. This study explored the perceived treatment outcomes among Chinese families having adolescents with AN.
Qualitative interviews were conducted on parents of adolescents with AN recruited through an eating disorder association in Hong Kong to understand their views and experiences regarding the help-seeking and treatment process.
The parents expressed dissatisfaction towards help-seeking and treatment outcomes, including relationships with health professionals, hospitalization, health professionals' knowledge of AN, understanding of the treatment model and parents' role, amount of psychological support, and coordination among health professionals. The parents were unclear about the treatment plan as they received little explanation from the health professionals. The parents perceived that the AN treatment only focused on weight restoration with limited psychological support. Home diet monitoring was seen as a harsh task which worsened the relationship with their children. The parents often needed to take up the coordinator role and search around for different health professionals and integrate their advices by themselves.
The study shows that limited psychoeducation, communication and coordination in the treatment for AN are major problems in a Chinese context. Open communication between the health professionals and the parents about the expected treatment outcomes and limitations is needed to enhance their mutual trust. Besides, treatment should emphasize not only family involvement but also empower them to fight against AN.
The Hong Kong government distributed rapid antigen test (RAT) kits to households across the city and called for a universal voluntary testing exercise for three consecutive days during the Omicron ...wave to identify infected persons early for quarantine and disrupt transmission chains in the community. We conducted a survey to evaluate the participation rates and explore the determinants of voluntary RAT adoption and hesitancy.
This cross-sectional survey was conducted through computer-assisted telephone interviews from 19 May to 16 June 2022 using an overlapping dual-frame telephone number sampling design. Information on willingness to adopt voluntary RAT, four themes of personal qualities, attitudes toward the government’s health policies, incentives to motivate RAT adoption, and personal sociodemographic factors were collected. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the factors associated with RAT adoption.
Of the 1010 participants, 490 successfully responded to the fixed-line and 520 to the mobile phone survey, with response rates of 1.42% and 1.63% and screen hesitancy rates of 36.1% and 39.3%, respectively. Participants of adoption RAT were those aged 30–49 years, with high perceived COVID-19 infection severity, ≥ 3 doses of COVID-19 vaccination, and more agreement with the health policies on material resources and quarantine orders. Individuals who were less risk seeking and more altruistic reported a higher adoption of voluntary RAT.
Understanding the willingness to participate in a voluntary universal testing programme might shed light on effective ways to minimise screening hesitancy in future public health strategies and campaigns.
The increasing prevalence of dementia has become a public health issue worldwide including China. This study aims to explore the perception of Chinese in Hong Kong towards the diagnosis, symptoms and ...impacts of dementia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among outpatients (without diagnosed dementia) attending a regional public hospital using a standard questionnaire. The results from 290 respondents showed that most preferred to be told about the diagnosis of dementia as soon as possible if they got it, in order to deal with the news and to access treatment and support early. Nearly two thirds of the respondents perceived practical issues (61.3%), physical health (61.0%), and emotional distress (58.4%) as their most fearful impacts, while legal issues (7.4%) were their least concerns. Family history/genes (79.1%) and brain injury (75.9%) were the most commonly perceived causes of dementia. For symptoms, respondents were more likely to identify cognitive impairments than undesirable behaviours. The accepting and proactive attitudes of the public indicate that there is a timely need of more public education about the disease, early screening and better continuity of care to fulfil the anticipated increase of the dementia patient population.
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