KE Spotlight - Community Engagement - HKU Knowledge Exchange

The Council on Smoking and Health, HKU and HKBU researchers call for complete ban of e-cigarettes

The Council on Smoking and Health (COSH) commissioned Baptist University to carry out a laboratory test on the components of thirteen e-cigarettes in the market from October 2015 to February 2016. The test confirmed that e-cigarettes contain harmful chemicals including carcinogens that are hazardous to health. COSH had earlier commissioned the HKU School of Public Health and Public Opinion Programme to conduct respectively the Tobacco Control Policy-related Survey and an opinion survey to interview over 5,000 respondents to monitor the prevalence of e-cigarette use and measure public opinion on its ban in Hong Kong. It was found that 68% of users did not know what they inhaled. Although only 0.2% of respondents had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, the rate (7.9%) among young current smokers aged 15 to 29 years was significantly higher than that of current smokers aged 30 years or above. The majority of respondents supported various regulatory measures on e-cigarettes. The Government is urged to enact total ban on e-cigarettes promptly to prevent its epidemic and stop it from becoming the gateway to youth smoking in Hong Kong.

HKU Social Sciences Research Centre announces "Language use, proficiency and attitudes in Hong Kong" survey findings

The Social Sciences Research Centre of the University carried out a research project that involved (i) the conduct of a community-wide language survey from August 2014 - January 2015; and (ii) the detailed analysis of language data from the 2011 Census of the HKSAR. The project was funded by the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme of the Central Policy Unit , HKSARG. The results of the project have the potential to contribute to a much greater understanding of patterns of language acquisition, language use and multilingualism within the Hong Kong community; and will contribute to a much fuller understanding of language acquisition, language use and multilingualism within the Hong Kong community.

New website launched to help students with mathematics difficulties: Maths Buddy

The Maths Buddy website, jointly developed by Dr Sandra Tsang Kit Man of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, and Dr Ida Mok Ah Chee of the Faculty of Education, focuses on helping children with mathematics difficulties at primary school level. The resources include an introduction, tools for learning mathematics, suggested games and stories of hope shared by a doctor and his family of a child with dyslexia and math difficulties. The tools and experience shared by the family may be helpful to other children with dyscalculia, math difficulties associated with dyslexia / attention-deficit disorders / other special educational needs. This website project was supported by the HKU Knowledge Exchange funding.

Knowledge Exchange Awards 2015

The Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Awards were introduced in 2011 in order to recognize each Faculty’s outstanding KE accomplishment that has made demonstrable economic, social or cultural impacts to benefit the community, business/industry, or partner organizations. Results of the 2015 Faculty KE Awards are now available.

Going through grief

The nuclear families, longer life spans and breakdown of community that characterise modern living mean that more and more people are alone in bereavement. Dr Amy Chow of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration has been developing interventions to help people navigate the tides of grief.

Proposed solution to better retirement

Professor Nelson Wing-Sun Chow of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration talks about his study on the future development of retirement security in Hong Kong and the questions that need to be discussed by the government and the general public.

Launch of "JC A-Connect: Jockey Club Autism Support Network"

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has earmarked HK$167 million for a three-year programme to provide better support for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), their families and schools. The HKU Faculty of Social Sciences, the Education Bureau and six NGOs will collaborate in this programme, commencing in the 2015/16 academic year. Coaching programmes, teacher training and research will be conducted to improve the social communication, emotional regulation and learning strategies of the students to help with behavioral problems and enhance their overall learning ability and social skills. The evidence-based programme will place emphasis on the partnership of families and schools, which aims to enhance skills of teachers and parents competency in handling these cases and provide students with prompt and appropriate intervention, according to Dr Irene Ho and Dr Sandra Tsang of the HKU Faculty of Social Sciences.