Hong Kong youngsters unfit, overweight and weaker than international peers

[PressToTeleport]

Hong Kong youngsters unfit, overweight and weaker than international peers, study says

PUBLISHED : Monday, 05 January, 2015, 2:44pm
UPDATED : Monday, 05 January, 2015, 4:40pm

Shirley Zhao [email protected]

Students take part in a physical fitness test. In a 2011 government report, only about 8 per cent of Hongkongers aged four to 14 said that they exercised for one hour every day, the recommended amount by the WHO. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong pupils and students are far less fit than their peers in mainland China and around the world, with more than a quarter of them overweight or obese, according to a study.

Research conducted by the University of Hong Kong during the last academic year on 100,000 pupils and students aged six to 19 at 173 schools in the city, found that 18 per cent were overweight and a further 9 per cent were obese, based on World Health Organisation body mass index standards.

Researchers believe schools’ and parents’ focus on academic performance had made them ignore exercise, leading to generally low fitness levels. They hoped a joint government-private sector fitness promotion campaign could help improve the situation.

The study also found that the flexibility of an average Hong Kong girl, determined in sit and reach tests, was at the bottom of the Singaporean standard and below the mainland average. Meanwhile, the average handgrip strength of 15-year-old boys in Hong Kong was 27 per cent weaker than their peers on the mainland.

Boys’ heart and lung fitness was “much worse” than that of boys in Europe, although the differences among girls were less observable, the study said.

“It is particularly notable that the physical fitness gap between children [in Hong Kong] and those from other parts of the world widened with age,” researchers said in the report.

Researchers drew their conclusions after carrying out tests and comparing the results to similar studies carried out in mainland China, Singapore and Europe.

Dr Patrick Ip Pak-keung, clinical associate professor at HKU’s department of paediatrics and adolescent medicine, said many parents ignored their children’s exercise needs because they wanted them to spend more time studying.

Schools do not encourage children to exercise more either, catering to parents wishes and trying to maintain academic competitiveness, and some even cancelled physical education classes to cram in more study, Ip added.

Wong Shun-ki, principal of Christian Alliance SC Chan Memorial College in Tuen Mun, said pupils at the school had two physical education classes a week – a total of one hour and 20 minutes. He added that pupils were encouraged to join after-school activities such as playing basketball or volleyball.

“I really want to let them exercise more, but it’s difficult in Hong Kong’s environment,” Wong said.

Researcher Ip said that being overweight or obese increased the risk of heart and vascular disease, diabetes and cancers. Low flexibility could lead to poor balance and might affect the long-term health of bones, while handgrip strength would affect the health of muscles and heart and blood functions.

“In different studies, we found students who exercised more often had better memory, energy and focus,” Ip said. “They often performed better in exams.”

The students who took part in the study were participants in the government’s School Physical Fitness Award Scheme, which was launched in 1990. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the programme, which is co-organised by the Hong Kong Childhealth Foundation, the Education Bureau and the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China.

Last year, the department of paediatrics and adolescent medicine of HKU’s Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine joined the scheme, introducing an electronic platform to record fitness data and provide analysis tools for policymakers, schools and parents to monitor the health and fitness of children. So far, more than 330 schools have registered for the scheme through the platform.

In a 2011 government report, only about 8 per cent of Hongkongers aged four to 14 said that they exercised for one hour every day, the recommended amount by the WHO.