Healthy living nurtured from young age
13 May 2018
Walking on the streets, we often come across more than a few pot-bellied people. Recently, I have noticed that some colleagues of mine keep taking instant noodles or snacks as their regular meals. My advice to them is to keep an eye on their diet. Though I must admit that I also have a budding pot belly, I do understand that being overweight or obese is closely related to our eating habits and lifestyles. So, what we must do now is to keep in mind the importance of making the right choices. Do adequate physical activities and stay away from fatty and sugary foods.
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Unhealthy eating habits and lifestyles are leading causes of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In 2016, major NCDs like cancers, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and cardiovascular diseases, including heart diseases and stroke, accounted for 55% of all registered deaths in Hong Kong, and took the lives of many people before the age of 70.
Take the population aged 40 for example. Almost half of them require treatment for hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol. I do not mean to scare anyone, but this is really alarming for our society and people at large. Not only will local healthcare and social welfare services be heavily burdened, but our productivity and economic growth will also be hindered. The increase in NCDs, further compounded by an ageing population, has become a problem that needs immediate attention.
NCDs are a threat not only to people in middle or old age, but to children and youngsters as well. And the problems in the latter category warrant even greater attention. Many parents like their kids to be plump. They do not see it as a problem because they believe kids will grow taller and slimmer during puberty. But the fact is that childhood obesity is a growing crisis for public health. Obesity has a negative impact on a child’s immediate and long-term health and quality of life. Overweight and obese children are more likely to stay obese into adulthood and more susceptible to life-threatening NCDs such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age.
As estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016, there were over 41 million overweight children under the age of five in the world, and almost half of them lived in Asia. Locally, while the rate of overweight primary school students shows a downward trend, the overall detection rate of secondary school students being overweight or obese continues to rise, from 17.0% in the 2007/08 school year to 19.9% in the 2016/17 school year.
In response to the global situation, the WHO established a high-level Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity in 2014, which comprises 15 international experts including Dr CHAN Hon-yee, Director of Health. The Commission has proposed a number of directions for tackling childhood obesity, such as creating a school environment conducive to health and promoting healthy diets and physical activities. As the Chairman of the soon-to-be-established Children Commission, I particularly care about the healthy development of children.
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To prevent and control NCDs, we must take effective and proactive measures targeted at different age groups. Early this month (on 4 May), I attended the opening ceremony of the “Health Promotion Symposium cum Central Health Education Unit 40th Anniversary Celebration” and witnessed the kick-off of “Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong”. The action plan, formulated by the Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases chaired by the Secretary for Food and Health with reference to the relevant guidelines of the WHO, sets out nine targets and a portfolio of cross-sectoral strategies and initiatives for the prevention and control of NCDs in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government has an important role to play in promoting public health. As announced in this year’s Budget, the Government will provide an additional annual provision of $100 million to advocate healthy lifestyles in the community for controlling and preventing NCDs and promoting mental health.
In fact, at least a third of NCDs can be prevented by adopting a health conscious lifestyle in a healthy living environment. We have organised various health promotion campaigns to encourage the public to develop healthy habits, such as reducing the intake of sugar, oil and salt, eating more fruits/vegetables and less meat, doing more physical activities and refraining from smoking and drinking alcohol. However, the Government cannot accomplish the task alone. Each and every one of us must play our part.
Everyone wants to be healthy. For an ageing population like that of Hong Kong, “health for all” is of paramount importance. The SAR Government is determined to take the lead in encouraging the community to live healthy lifestyles and pick up healthy habits from a young age. Let us act now to build a healthy Hong Kong together for ourselves, our families and our society.
