Health Risks for Children in Hong Kong
Prosperity and modern lifestyle have brought down many illnesses in Hong Kong through immunizations. However, increased industrialization of our modern life also led to a plethora of health problems for children including child obesity, respiratory problems, and mental health issues.
Is your child protected against common health risks in Hong Kong? In this article, we will talk about some of the common health risks of modern lifestyle in Hong Kong and how parents can safeguard their children through lifestyle choices and comprehensive health insurance policies.
Obesity
An increase in household prosperity, along with an increase in the popularity of western fast food culture and video games, has led to a significant increase in obesity among children. In 2018-2019, the prevalence of obesity in children aged 6-16 stood at 19.5% and increased to 20.3 % in 2019/20, and 22.6 % in 2020/21.
Obesity is a threat to the future population of Hong Kong as childhood obesity significantly increases the risks of various health conditions including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and nonalcohol-related fatty liver disease.
Poor eating habits has been noted in research as early as 2005 with over a quarter of children aged 2-14 drank at least one soda every day and consumed fast-food at least twice a week. This consumption of high fat, processed, sugary, and fried foods is among the chief contributors to the increasing obesity rate.
Another is the change in lifestyle with children spending more time between their academic classes in front of screens more than engaging in sport activities. This sedentary lifestyle with minimal active time is another compounding factor to rising childhood obesity.
To combat this widespread instance of obesity, children need to be encouraged to participate in sports or other active lifestyles, rather than spending time in front of screens. Such encouragement could come from both a child’s school and household, such as family active time where parents join their kid in doing sports or doing chores together.
Respiratory Problems
Industrialization comes with pollution. Air quality in Hong Kong has been degrading over the last 20 years, resulting in a range of physician problems in children including respiratory problems.
Ais pollution can harm children from the time of pregnancy. Air pollutants inhaled by mothers can damage the child’s lungs, heart, and brain as they develop. This damage could later lead to other respiratory problems as the child grows up including reduced lung function, allergies, respiratory infection, and asthma.
To prevent damage from air pollution, children may be encouraged to reduce time spent outside and avoid exposing themselves to pollutants. However, this also means reduced opportunities for physical activities and engagement in sports, the main culprit of increasing obesity in youth.
Initiatives from the government are imperative to tackle this rise in air pollution, especially when it comes to the monitoring of the city’s emission levels and carbon emissions from transportation.
Mental Health Issues
In a report by Save the Children Hong Kong, as much as 39% of school-age children in Hong Kong may have developed symptoms of mental health disorders. Culprits are social and political turmoil, high academic pressure, tense home environments, as well as increasing screen time.
With university degrees being viewed as the only pathway towards desirable life, children are expected to perform to an exceptional high standard to secure their spot in a high-ranking university.
The authoritarian style of parenting adds to this stress, with a lack of care and understanding from parents. In 2019, 4 in 10 young people in Hong Kong reported quarreling with their parents, and a 2005 study shed light on 58% of children encountering psychological aggression from their parents in a given year.
Political turmoil has also become a major stressor for Hong Kong youth, with increasing exposure towards politics-related violence and political uncertainty. Different political opinions have also become a source of family quarrel for 71% of Hong Kong youth in 2019.
Among the root causes for the politics-related stress is the excessive screen time among Hong Kong youths with around 30% of primary school students and 68% of secondary school students spending more than 2 hours on the internet daily.
The Internet allows youth to have access to content that, sometimes, is violent beyond their age as well as means to compare themselves to one another, which in turn could lead to depression-related symptoms, PTSD, or anxiety.
Safeguard Your Child in Hong Kong
As we have seen, there are some pressing issues in Hong Kong regarding children’s physical and mental health, including the modern sedentary lifestyle that is leading to obesity in youth, air pollution affecting respiratory systems, and numerous stressors threatening youth’s mental health.
One of the first steps you can take to safeguard your child is to ensure your access to medical care in Hong Kong.
Quality healthcare options are plentily available in Hong Kong, whether you opt for the public or the private system. With the public system, eligible persons can receive essential care at an affordable price. Meanwhile, the private system can provide you with prompt and comfortable services with extra amenities.
However, what to note is the public system is overburdened, making waiting time infamously long, and short-term expats are usually considered non-eligible persons. The cost of private healthcare in Hong Kong has also been on a constant increase, with first-class in-patient care costing around HKD $5,640 per day.
Check out this article to learn more about the overview of Hong Kong healthcare system.
Having a health insurance plan that can provide ample coverage both for you and your family can bring you great peace of mind during your stay in Hong Kong.
Pacific Prime HK can offer you a brokerage service that allows you to compare plans and quotes from top health insurance providers, ensuring that you truly get the health insurance plan that works best for you at the best price.
Our service also extends beyond consultation service. From comparing plans to buying a policy, to making claims, and even policy renewal, we are here to accompany you all the way.
Contact us today for a free quote and no-obligation advice!
Coming to Pacific Prime, she is ready to utilize her experience for the new pursuit. With a strong passion for storytelling and writing, she hopes her words could help bring people closer to the best international health insurance plan that works for them. After all, as a writer, there is no greater honor than when one’s words can add clarity to the world of the readers.
Apart from writing, she is an avid planespotter. On the weekends, you can expect to find her loitering around the airport, gawking at all the aircrafts taking off and landing. When the weather does not permit planespotting, you can find her huddling on her cozy couch, watching ballet and figure skating as well.
- What Expats Should Know about the 2024 Policy Address - October 21, 2024
- Health Risks for Children in Hong Kong - September 27, 2024
- Top Things to Do in Sanya – China’s Top Seaside Paradise - September 20, 2024
Top 100 Hong Kong Blogs Winner
Comments
Comments are disabled for this post
We'll notify you
when our team replies!