Document Type
Research Report
Publication Date
2011
Abstract
Modernization marked the progress of society and posed various changes to human life as well as the epidemiological transition. Improvements in public health care, living conditions, income and the control of infectious diseases were important factors in the first half of the twentieth century that led to the increases in life expectancy, while in the second half it was improvements in social conditions, health technologies such as antibiotics, and widespread immunization. The existences of advanced medical services effectively get rid of the prevalence of infectious disease that caused immediate human threats such as Measles and Smallpox.
Given that technological advancement helps to increase life-expectancy, people are now likely to die of diseases associated with living longer, such as stroke or heart disease, rather than the traditional infectious diseases of bacteria or genes. As a consequence, it comes to an era of chronic disease which progressively causes irreversible damages to health as well as posing long term burdens on healthcare and medical sector worldwide.
Considerable studies indicated that chronic disease developed through lifestyle risks and its severity is highly depended on how many cumulative risk factors that an individual exposed to. In regards to its own specific epidemiological nature, there are various terminologies such as ‘Lifestyle disease’, ‘Illness of the wealth’ occurs to identify all these distinctive characteristics and the term of Non-communicable disease (NCD) has been accepted as the official classification in Hong Kong.
This study explores 1) The guiding framework of health promotion strategies. 2) The general health condition among the middle-aged residents in Tsuen Wan. 3) The prevalence of the major risk factors of unhealthy diet, smoking, alcohol consumption and sedentary lifestyle. 4) Possible recommendations on health promotion to the district.
Consultant Team Member(s)
Principal Investigator: Professor Chan Cheung Ming Alfred
Co-Investigators: Ms Tang Chi Yan Sandy, Ms Tang Pui Yee Phoebe
Research Support: Ms Lau Wing No Helen, Ms Chan Hiu Yan Fanny, Ms Chung Nga Man Amber, Ms Li Wing Yin, Mr Chan Wing Chung David
Study Commissioned By
Tsuen Wan Safe and Health Community; Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital
Recommended Citation
Tsuen Wan Safe and Health Community, Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital, & Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies, Lingnan University (2011). Understanding health profile of the middle-aged residents in Tsuen Wan. Retrieved from http://commons.ln.edu.hk/apias_research/4/
Included in
Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons