KE Spotlight - Community Engagement - HKU Knowledge Exchange

HKUMed reveals WhatsApp chat support enhances smokers’ quitting rate

The Smoking Cessation Research Team at the School of Nursing and School of Public Health of the HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine(HKUMed) conducted a cluster-randomised controlled trial at the 8th “Quit to Win” Smoke-free Community Campaign organised by the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, which found that “WhatsApp chat support”, combined with brief smoking cessation interventions, could increase the chance of quitting by 60% to 90%. The study recruited 1,185 daily cigarette smokers, where 591 participants were randomised to the intervention group and 594 to the control group. Those who joined the intervention group have a quitting rate 90% higher than the control group at a three-month follow-up, and the chance of verified quitting was still 60% higher in the intervention group at six-month follow-up, which was three months after the end of “WhatsApp chat support”.

Faculty Knowledge Exchange Awards 2019

The annual Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Awards recognise each Faculty’s outstanding KE accomplishment that has made demonstrable economic, social or cultural impacts to benefit the community, business/industry, or partner organisations. Results of the 2019 Faculty KE Awards are now available.

HKU helps to implement Eye Examination Scheme for Southern District residents

HKU Department of Ophthalmology will partner with Southern District to implement the Eye Examination Scheme, one of the District’s Signature Project Schemes under the government’s HK$100 million provision to enhance district administration. The five-year Scheme will provide one-time free ophthalmic examination services to residents of Southern District aged 50 or above starting from May 20 and hoped to benefit up to 25,000 residents. HKU said it had conducted a pilot scheme beforehand and found many residents in Southern District suffered from eye diseases. About one-tenth of pilot cases needed to be followed up by doctors.

HKUMed-led study shows breastfeeding is linked with a more favourable lipid profile in adolescence

The “Children of 1997” birth cohort research team led by Professor Gabriel Leung, Dean of Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, and Dr C Mary Schooling, Associate Professor of School of Public Health, found that exclusive breastfeeding in early infancy promoted a healthier lipid profile, specifically lower low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol associated with heart disease), in late adolescence. A total of 3,265 participants had lipids measured at about 17.5 years of age. The research team found that exclusive breastfeeding for the first three months was associated with lower LDL-cholesterol at about 17.5 years, regardless of body mass index and fat percentage and suggested that breastfeeding was potentially important in cardiovascular disease prevention by promoting lower cholesterol for the population as a whole. This study provides evidence supportive of public health policies to increase the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding.

HKU start-up wins championship at the Hong Kong finals of the IMAGINE IF! Competition

Lifespans, a start-up company formed by HKU professors and alumni, won at the Hong Kong Finals of IMAGINE IF! 2018-19 and will participate in the Global Final of IMAGINE IF! at the “Health Horizons - Future Healthcare Forum” from June 26 to 27 in Cambridge, UK. Lifespans develops proprietary technologies that make orthopaedic implants safer and more effective when treating fractured hips, shoulders, and spines in elderly patients. Its products are undergoing final safety testing and are expected to be available to hospitals in the second quarter of 2019.

HKU School of Nursing guides elderly to exercise with AI robots

HKU School of Nursing collaborated with the Hong Kong Housing Authority to host a health talk under the Healthy Ageing in Public Rental Housing Estates programme. Over 100 elderly people who participated in the talk worked out to strengthen their muscles with simple exercises under the guidance of two AI robots from the School of Nursing. The HKU team also conducted a hand-grip test to measure the muscle strength of elderly persons. The AI robots serve as fitness coaches to stimulate the elderly’s interest in exercise and help them remember the movements better, minimising the chance of sarcopenia and the risk of falls.

HKU Studies the Prevalence of Viral Hepatitis in Hong Kong – The First Largest Population Territory-based Study

A research team of HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine performed a 19-month territory-wide study involving 10,256 individuals on the prevalence of five viral hepatitis in 2015 and 2016. It found the overall prevalence of hepatitis B in Hong Kong was 7.8%, yet 48% of infected participants were unaware of it. Since vaccine cuts the infection rate by 85% and many hepatitis B carriers were unaware of their situation, the HKU team called for a territory-wide screening for hepatitis and promotion for vaccination, especially if Hong Kong is to achieve the public health objectives of the World Health Organization in 2030.