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BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether questionnaires measuring psychosocial constructs related to low back pain (LBP) that were originally designed for adults are suitable for adolescents, and if paper and web-versions have similar measurement properties. OBJECTIVES: To examine selected psychometric properties for the paper- and web-based Back-Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) and the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ-phys) among adults and adolescents in two diverse countries and to determine whether differences existed between countries and pain groups. METHODS: A sample of 156 adults (Hong Kong, n = 75; Australia, n = 81) and 96 adolescents (Hong Kong, n = 61; Australia, n = 35) participated in this cross-sectional study. RESULTS: Main effects for country and administration mode were observed in adult BBQ scores, where Australian adults reported significantly higher BBQ scores than Hong Kong adults (mean difference (MD); 95% CI: 2.85; 0.96-4.74) and significantly higher scores were recorded on the web mode compared to the paper mode (MD 0.74; 0.10-1.38). Similarly, Hong Kong adults and adolescents reported higher FABQ-phys scores than Australian adults and adolescents (MD; 95% CI: 3.40; 1.37-5.43 and 4.88; 0.53-9.23, respectively). Internal consistency values were mostly acceptable (α⩾0.7). CONCLUSION: Differences exist between cultures for LBP-related beliefs. The BBQ and FABQ-phys have acceptable measurement properties in both administration modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is known on the subject?: Family‐involved interventions can result in better outcomes than traditional mental health care for both service users and their families.Nurses' attitudes towards family involvement can affect family participation in care.Earlier studies on psychiatric nurses' attitudes towards family involvement in care report ambiguous findings. Hong Kong's unique integrated cultures may influence Hong Kong psychiatric nurses' attitudes towards family involvement in nursing care. What the paper adds to existing knowledge?: The majority of psychiatric nurses had positive views on family involvement in care in Hong Kong.Four variables (i.e. gender, clinical experience, nature of working unit and family nursing training) of psychiatric nurses are associated with their attitudes towards family involvement in care in Hong Kong. What are the implications for practice?: Policy makers should develop strategies to increase psychiatric nurses' awareness of the importance of family involvement in patient care.Nurse educators help to design family nursing training to enhance psychiatric nurses' competence in collaborating with families of people suffering from mental disorders. Introduction: In Hong Kong, involving the family in nursing care is still optional and mainly depends on nurses' attitudes and the willingness of the family. Hong Kong psychiatric nurses' attitudes towards family involvement in nursing care may be influenced by the unique integrated Eastern and Western cultures, however earlier studies report ambiguous findings. Aims: This study aimed to assess Hong Kong psychiatric registered nurses' attitudes towards family involvement in care and its associated factors. Methods: This study is a cross‐sectional descriptive online survey with convenience sampling based on the Families' Importance in Nursing Care‐Nurses' Attitudes (FINC‐NA) instrument. Results: Most of the psychiatric nurses had supportive attitudes towards family involvement in care. Females with more clinical experience, working in a rehabilitation‐related unit and having attended a family nursing education course were associated with positive attitudes towards family involvement in care. Discussion: The supportive attitude of psychiatric nurses may be explained by the shift of mental health nursing care from hospital care to community care in recent decades. Implications for practice: Mental health nurse education and training in Hong Kong could place more emphasis on building family work skills, particularly for newly qualified nurses and those working in acute inpatient settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vocabulary learning in a second language (L2) encompasses crucial aspects, including single words and collocations. Research indicates that L2 learners can incidentally learn single words from captioned videos, but less is known about the incidental learning outcomes of collocations, let alone the differences in learning gains for single words and collocations under different captioned conditions, as well as individual differences that may account for such differences. Objectives: This study aimed to fill this gap by comparing the learning gains of single words and collocations while investigating the influence of vocabulary knowledge (VK) and working memory (WM) on the learning results within diverse forms of captioning conditions: full captions, keyword captions, and no captions. Methods: The study involved 129 young Chinese ESL learners who completed vocabulary tests assessing their meaning recall before, immediately after, and 2 weeks after the study, as well as tests for VK and WM. Results and Conclusions: The results showed that full captions are the most efficacious condition for enhancing both single word and collocation learning. The depth of VK, as well as phonological and complex WM, were significant factors in the learning of new language items. Takeaways: Different types of captioning (full or keyword) contribute differently to the learning of various language items. Individual differences in WM and depth of VK among learners should be considered when utilizing captioned videos for language learning. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: The type of captions employed does influence incidental single word learning.Incidental collocation learning from captioned videos is worth to be investigated due to the essential role of collocation knowledge in L2 development and the limited classroom time.The breadth of prior vocabulary knowledge (VK) does impact the incidental learning of single words across different captioned conditions. However, the findings remain inconclusive.Working memory (WM) plays a vital role in single word learning. However, limited emphasis has been placed on the examination of how WM affects the incidental learning of collocations across various captioning conditions. What this paper adds: Different captioned conditions play different roles in the incidental learning of different language units: single word learning benefits most from full captioning, whereas both full and keyword captioning lead to significant improvements in incidental collocation learning.The depth of VK is a key determinant of both single word and collocation learning from captioned videos, but its impact is greater for collocations.The breadth of VK is more relevant to collocation learning than single word learning.Both phonological and complex WM play an important role in learning both single words and collocations, but their contribution is greater for collocations. Implications for practice and/or policy: L2 policymakers can incorporate short storytelling videos into the EFL curriculum to facilitate vocabulary learning among young learners and ultimately enhance their L2 proficiency.Teachers can strategically design and implement various types of captioned videos (full or keyword) as out‐of‐class extensive viewing activities, targeting different language components such as single words and collocations.Teachers should be mindful of individual differences (e.g., VK and WM) among learners when utilizing captioned videos for language learning, particularly when it comes to incidental collocation learning.Parents are encouraged to include short storytelling videos with captions as part of their children's home entertainment activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on significant gender differences in psychological distress and perceived social support (PSS) among a clinical sample of Hong Kong Chinese depressed parents (Nmen = 17, Nwomen = 94; 73.8% belonging to 30−50 age group). Men's mental health and PSS were found to relate to their employment status, while women's to family income and family origin. PSS had positive effects on psychological wellbeing of both genders, while gender-specific effects were found for some subtypes of PSS. The results of our study contributed a gendered perspective and validated the importance of PSS to understanding and helping depressed parents' recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

mcinnes e., seers k. & tutton l. (2011) Older people's views in relation to risk of falling and need for intervention: a meta-ethnography. Journal of Advanced Nursing 67(12), 2525-2536. Abstract Aim. This paper is a report of a meta-ethnography of qualitative studies of older peoples' views on risk of falling and need for intervention. Background. Falls and falls-related injuries in older people are worldwide problems. A conceptual understanding of older people's views about falls risk and need for intervention is useful for understanding factors likely to impact on acceptance of risk and recommended interventions. Data Sources. Seven electronic databases were searched 1999-2009. Reference lists of included articles were screened for eligible papers. Review Methods. Assessment of quality was carried out. Themes and concepts were extracted using a meta-ethnographic approach to compare similarities and differences across the retrieved studies. A line of argument was developed to produce an explanatory framework of the extracted themes and concepts. Results. Eleven relevant qualitative research articles of reasonable quality were identified. Six key concepts were identified: beyond personal control; rationalizing; salience; life-change and identity; taking control and self-management. A line of argument synthesis describes how older people approach self-appraisal of falls risk and intervention need, and how they cope and adapt to falls risk and intervention need. Conclusion. In response to having an elevated risk status and perceived associations with frailty and impact on an independent life-style, some prefer to adapt to this reality by taking control and implementing self-management strategies. Healthcare professionals should take into account beliefs about risk and negotiate choices for intervention, recognizing that some individuals prefer to drive the decision-making process to preserve identity as a competent and independent person. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effect of a reading intervention aimed at improving the comprehension performance of three students with hyperactive behaviours in Hong Kong. Comprehension tasks, adopted from local exercise books based on Hong Kong Certificate Education Examination Paper I, were used to appraise three participants' reading performance, and their corresponding in-class behaviours were observed and recorded as a point of reference. A five-week reading intervention, introducing four major adjustments to the conventional drilling task, including pre-teaching vocabulary, providing visual clues, offering instructions on a separate piece of paper and encouraging productive physical movements, resulted in an improved reading outcome. Following the treatment stage, a two-week conventional comprehension approach was re-employed and results compared with those at the pre-intervention stage. A very slight improvement was shown, suggesting the effectiveness of the intervention. A similar pattern of improvement in students' behaviour was shown during the intervention. The results indicated that students made improvements in terms of both comprehension results and behavioural status. Implications for teachers facilitating students with hyperactive behaviours are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although multicomponent positive psychological interventions (MPPIs) effectively improve well-being, it is crucial to examine which intervention component plays a critical role. Method: This cluster randomized controlled trial assigned 221 immigrants from mainland China to Hong Kong to either an MPPI arm (n = 116, 11 clusters) or an MPPI + Information arm (n = 105, 11 clusters). Both arms aimed to enhance three intervention outcomes: resilience, happiness, and mental health. The MPPI part in the two arms included four components: self-efficacy, positive thinking, altruism, and goal setting. The information part provided information about Hong Kong. Results: Both arms effectively improved the four intervention components and three intervention outcomes. MPPI + Information increased the immigrants' knowledge of Hong Kong. The network analysis showed that altruism had the greatest strength in the network. Conclusions: Future studies should focus on the specific intervention component of altruism to understand how the MPPI works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A brief intervention using Zero‐time Exercise (ZTEx), a foot‐in‐the‐door approach, was developed to reduce sedentary behaviour and increase physical activity. ZTEx refers to the integration of simple strength‐ and stamina‐enhancing physical activity into daily life, which can be done anytime, anywhere and by anyone. This paper presents the development, feasibility, and preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of this intervention under the Hong Kong Jockey Club FAMILY Project. Needs assessments were conducted with social workers from the Christian Family Services Center(CFSC) and the Social Welfare Department (SWD). This single group prospective ZTEx intervention trial, guided by the Health Action Process Approach, included a 3‐hr core session at baseline and a 1‐hr booster session at 1‐month follow‐up. Fifty‐six participants (social and service‐related workers) from CFSC (n = 28) and SWD (n = 28) received the intervention and completed the self‐administered questionnaires at baseline. Forty‐nine and 43 participants completed the 1‐month and 3‐month self‐administered questionnaires, respectively. Fifteen participants attended the focus group interviews to share their feedback on ZTEx intervention after implementing their community‐based ZTEx activities. Intention‐to‐treat analysis was conducted with missing data replaced by baseline values. Participants reported significant decreases in sitting time by 27 (2, 52) minutes (mean [95% confidence interval]) and 36 (0.2, 71) minutes on a weekday, increases in physical activity while seated by 0.7 (0.2, 1.4) days and 1.1 (0.6, 1.7) days in a week, and improvements in perceived knowledge, outcome expectancies and plan on doing ZTEx at the 1‐month and 3‐month follow‐up, respectively. Balance and muscle strength significantly improved at the 1‐month follow‐up. The effect ranged from small to large (Cohen's d: 0.27–1.05, all p < 0.05). The qualitative feedbacks support the quantitative findings. Our findings show early evidence that ZTEx effectively reduced sedentary behaviour and enhanced physical activity and fitness. Further trials on this simple and low‐cost intervention as the first step to promote higher intensity exercise are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Eczema is a pediatric skin disease that affects the psychosocial well-being of both children and their parent caregivers. This paper outlines a protocol for an experimental study that evaluates the effectiveness of a psychosocial empowerment program for children with eczema and their parent caregivers. Method: A multi-center randomized controlled trial is proposed, where parent–child dyads are randomized into two arms: an intervention group and wait-list control group. The intervention is delivered to participants in a parallel group format based on the Integrative Body-Mind-Spirit model which focuses on holistic well-being. Quality of life is measured before and after the intervention is provided, and five weeks after the intervention has been completed. Discussion: The suggested model fills a research gap in existing interventions, and provides new knowledge by evaluating the effectiveness of a tailored psychosocial intervention, delivered in group settings, for parent–child dyads affected by eczema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of an evaluation study, which assessed the changes in knowledge and skills of psychiatric nurses after they had attended a training course in family therapy in Hong Kong. Systemically based and strengths oriented, the 49-h training comprises three modules which include lectures, sensitivity training, clinical observation and clinical supervision. Seventeen out of 24 psychiatric nurses participated in a panel study after they had attended the course. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire during three phases: pre-training (time 1), completion of module I (time 2) and completion of module III (time 3). The results of an ANOVA have shown that the training had a significant positive effect on the psychiatric nurses’ knowledge, skills and attitudes from time 1 to time 2. The nurses’ mean scores in these three areas continued to increase respectively, though the changes in the two mean scores from the questionnaires at time 2 and time 3 were statistically insignificant. Implications for future training and promoting the family-centered approach in mental health services are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to cancers at other sites, lung cancer often results in greater psychosocial distress to both the patients and their caregivers, due to the poor prognosis and survival rate, as well as the heavy symptom burden. In recent years, making protocols of proposed or on-going studies publicly available via clinical trial registries and/or peer-reviewed journals has benefited health sciences with timely communication of the latest research trends and improved transparency in reporting. However, such practice is yet to be a common sight in evidence-informed social work. Hence, this paper discusses the value of publishing protocols in social work research and presents the protocol of a randomized controlled trial that compares the effectiveness of integrative body-mind-spirit intervention with cognitive behavioral therapy for enhancing quality of life of patients with lung cancer and their family caregivers. The data collection process was still on-going at the time of manuscript submission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the cross-sectional relationships between reading-related affective and cognitive factors and reading skills among adolescents with and without dyslexia. Participants were 120 Chinese-speaking eighth graders, including 60 adolescents with dyslexia and 60 typically developing adolescents from Hong Kong, China. Adolescents completed questionnaires on general anxiety, reading anxiety, and reading self-concept. They were also assessed on measures of rapid digit naming, verbal working memory, word reading, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. The results showed that readers with dyslexia reported higher levels of general anxiety and reading anxiety and lower levels of reading self-concept than typical readers. They also showed difficulties in rapid digit naming and verbal working memory. Importantly, controlling for rapid digit naming and verbal working memory, reading self-concept was uniquely associated with word reading and reading fluency for readers with and without dyslexia. Furthermore, reading anxiety and reading self-concept were uniquely associated with reading comprehension for the two groups of readers. The findings point to the importance of considering affective factors when examining the reading skills of Chinese readers and the utility of targeting these factors when supporting the learning of adolescents with and without dyslexia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Media guidelines for suicide reporting are available in many countries. However, to what extent the mass media comply with the guidelines is unknown. Few studies are available that investigate systematically whether the mass media reflect the epidemiological reality of suicide deaths in their articles. Methods: Based on the WHO media guidelines, this study investigated the characteristics of newspaper articles of suicides in three Chinese communities, namely Hong Kong, Taiwan and Guangzhou. Epidemiological comparisons were conducted to identify the age and gender differences between the suicide victims as reported in the newspapers and the official records of suicide deaths in all three places. Results: The results found that one media characteristic complied with the WHO media guidelines (ie, only about 2% of the articles were printed on the front page), but there were a number of instances of non-compliance (ie, only 4--14% provided sources for help-seeking and 27--90% printed with photos). The epidemiological comparisons revealed an over-representation of younger suicides and an under-representation of late-life suicides in the newspapers of all three places. Furthermore, female suicides were found to be under-reported in Taiwan and Guangzhou newspapers, but not in Hong Kong papers. Conclusion: Non-compliant suicide articles are prevalent in the newspapers of these three Chinese settings. The observed media misrepresentations may potentially mislead the public and the policy makers about the actual risk for suicide in some demographic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic libraries are experiencing significant changes and making efforts to deliver their service in the digital environment. Libraries are transforming from being places for reading to extensions of the classroom and learning spaces. Due to the globalized digital environment and intense competition, libraries are trying to improve their service quality through various evaluations. As reference service is crucial to users, this study explores user satisfaction towards the reference service through WhatsApp, a social media instant messenger, at a major university in Hong Kong and discusses the correlation between the satisfaction rating and three variables. Suggestions and recommendations are raised for future improvements. The study also sheds light on the usage of reference services through instant messaging in other academic libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School-aged children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have delayed gestural development, in comparison with age-matched typically developing children. In this study, an intervention program taught children with low-functioning ASD gestural comprehension and production using video modelling (VM) by a computer-generated robot animation. Six to 12-year-old children with ASD ( N = 20; IQ < 70) were taught to recognize 20 gestures produced by the robot animation (phase I), to imitate these gestures (phase II) and to produce them in appropriate social contexts (phase III). Across the three phases, significant differences were found between the results of the pretest and the immediate and follow-up posttests; the results of both posttests were comparable, after controlling for the children's motor and visual memory skills. The children generalized their acquired gestural skills to a novel setting with a human researcher. These results suggest that VM by a robot animation is effective in teaching children with low-functioning ASD to recognize and produce gestures. Lay Description What is already known about this topic: Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have difficulties with nonverbal communication., Children with ASD have difficulties in recognizing and producing gestures., What this paper adds: A multiphase therapeutic intervention program using video modelling (VM) of robot animation is effective to promoting the gestural communication skills, both recognition and production, in children with low-functioning ASD., Children with ASD have improved their skills to recognize the taught gestures (phase I), imitate them (phase II) and produce them in appropriate social contexts (phase III)., Children with ASD are able to generalize the acquired skills to human-to-human interactions after the intervention program., Implications for practice and/or policy: VM of a robot animation is effective in teaching children with low-functioning ASD both gesture recognition and gesture production., The multiphase therapeutic intervention protocol can be recommended for clinicians or teachers in special schools to teach children with low-functioning ASD gestural communication skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary What is known on the subject? Frailty and multimorbidity are common in later life. A higher level of frailty is associated with a higher risk of adverse physical and psychological health situations., Older adults with pain have been reported to be lonelier and more depressed, as well as less happy and less satisfied with their life as compared to those without pain., In view of the high prevalence of pain among older adults and the reversibility of frailty, it is important to explore the relationship between pain, frailty and psychological parameters in order to devise patient-centred interventions., What this paper adds to existing knowledge? Frailty index is positively correlated with the presence of pain, and associated with gender, functional mobility and loneliness., Among these significant variables, loneliness was the factor that contributed the most to the frailty index., What are the implications for practice? It is essential to put the focus of healthcare on both the physical and psychological aspects of well-being., All nurses are advised to improve the management of pain in older people in order to lower the levels of pain, frailty and psychological distress among this population., Nursing care should address the loneliness level especially the problem of social loneliness among older adults particularly those living in nursing homes., Abstract Introduction In view of the high prevalence of pain among older adults and the reversibility of frailty, it is important to explore the relationship between pain, frailty and psychological parameters in order to devise patient-centred interventions. Aim To examine the levels of frailty, pain and psychological parameters among older adults living in Hong Kong nursing homes, and the cross-sectional relationships among these items. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 178 residents from six nursing homes. Frailty, pain, mobility, happiness, loneliness and life satisfaction of participants were assessed using validated questionnaires. Results A multiple linear regression ( R2 = 0.338, P < 0.05) showed that the frailty index was associated with loneliness, functional mobility and gender. Among these significant variables, loneliness was the factor that contributed the most to the frailty index. Discussion It is essential to put the focus of healthcare on both the physical and psychological aspects of well-being. Findings suggest that apart from improving mobility and reducing pain, loneliness could be a target of psychosocial interventions to reduce frailty and improve quality of life. Implications for practice It is advised that nursing care should address loneliness, especially the problem of social loneliness among older adults particularly those living in nursing homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the effectiveness of directive programmes led by professionals where parents were taught specific parenting knowledge and strategies (Triple P – Positive Parenting Program) and non-directive parenting programmes in the form of mutual-aid support group as a universal prevention programme. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed a randomised controlled trial design. Participants included 92 Hong Kong Chinese parents with preschool children recruited from eight kindergartens and a local church. They were randomised into Group Triple P, non-directive group and control group. They completed measures on their perception of child behaviour problems and their parental stress before and after intervention. Findings – At post-intervention, results indicated significantly greater decrease in child disruptive behaviours among participants in the Triple P group than those in the non-directive group and control group while no significant group difference was found between the latter two groups. No significant difference was found in post-intervention parental stress level among the three groups. Originality/value – This study provides empirical evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of a directive parenting programme vs a non-directive one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim This paper aims to describe the research protocol that will be used to determine the effectiveness of a health-social partnership intervention programme among community-dwelling older adults. Background Ageing in place is a preferred option for overcoming challenges of the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and the risk for hospitalization associated with the ageing population. Nevertheless, our knowledge of how to implement this concept is limited. The integrated efforts of health and social services may help to enable older adults to live with a sense of control over their daily life and to be independent to the fullest extent possible in the community. Design This is a randomized, controlled trial. Methods Participants are community-dwelling older adults referred from a community centre. Sample size calculation was based on power analysis. The intervention group will receive the programme with the standard protocols guided by a comprehensive assessment-intervention-evaluation framework. Home visits and telephones follow-up will be employed as means of conducting the interventions and monitoring their progress. The customary care group will receive placebo social calls. The duration of the interventions will be 3 months. The study was funded by the School of Nursing in Hong Kong. Research Ethics Committee approval was obtained in September 2014. Discussion The results of this research are expected to enable older adults to stay in the community with optimal health and well-being. Health and social sciences are integrated into the practice in this research protocol. The scarce literature on this topic means that this study can also provide an opportunity to bridge the caring gap among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes seriously the idea that the coefficients of a VAR and the variance of shocks may be time-varying and so employs a Markov regime-switching VAR model to describe and analyse the time-varying credibility of Hong Kong's currency board system. The endogenously estimated discrete regime shifts are made dependent on macroeconomic fundamentals. This enables us to determine which changes in macroeconomic variables can trigger switches between the low and high credibility regimes. We carry out extensive testing to search for the most appropriate specification of the Markov regime-switching model. We find strong evidence of regime switching behaviour that portrays the timevarying nature of credibility in the historical data. Our own conditional volatility index provides anticipatory signals and amplifies the regime-switching transition probabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines generalized trust and trust in institutions in Confucian Asia, covering six countries namely, China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, and one dependent region, Hong Kong. Using data from the 2006 AsiaBarometer Survey, our study affirms the reliability and validity of using a two-item scale to measure generalized trust. Our analysis suggests that due to demographic differences, there are variations in the level of generalized trust of countries in Confucian Asia, despite the fact that these societies share a similar background in Confucian philosophy. The relationships between generalized trust and political trust, and between generalized trust and trust in public institutions, are weak but positive. The positive relationship between generalized trust and trust in economic institutions is only significant for some of the economies, while trust in international institutions has the weakest relationship with generalized trust for all societies. We conclude the paper with research implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the views of Hong Kong community leaders on the underlying issues that affect family health, happiness and harmony (3Hs) in Hong Kong. Using a community reconnaissance method, a series of individual in-depth interviews with 26 leaders that represent neighbourhoods of diverse socio-economic status (SES) from June to August 2008 were conducted. Participants considered that changing family structure, economic situation and strong work ethic are the most salient factors that affect family 3Hs. The deprived comprehensive social security assistance recipients, single-parent families and migrant women were considered to be the most vulnerable groups to breakdown in family 3Hs and particularly, they lack family resources. Families from different SES have to overcome different challenges in order to achieve and sustain family 3Hs. Leaders from low SES neighbourhood were concerned more about providing tangible help such as child care facilities to improve family resources, whereas leaders from high SES neighbourhood focused more on preventive interventions such as education on relationship skills to achieve better family well-being. The findings offer insights in designing effective social marketing education campaigns and family-friendly workplace policy to promote social harmony through the maintenance of 3Hs families. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the field of intellectual disabilities (ID), the quality of life concept has been developing rapidly in Chinese societies including Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan. However, there is a lack of locally validated instruments to measure the quality of life of people with ID. The study reported in this paper attempted to validate the Chinese Quality of Life Questionnaire - Intellectual Disabilities adapted from the Quality of Life Questionnaire developed by Schalock & Keith. People with mild/moderate ID aged 15 years or above were recruited from special schools, skills centres, community service units and residential units in different regions of Hong Kong. A number of procedures were followed including reliability tests, factor analysis, content validity and construct validity. A total of 359 participants were recruited for the study. Factor analysis was conducted according to the rotated component matrix method, in which 23 items were extracted from the original 40-item version of the Quality of Life Questionnaire and three domains (renamed satisfaction, competence and daily choice making/interpersonal relations) were observed. The items in each domain were shown to have factor loadings ranging from 0.42 to 0.90. Construct validity tests indicated the positive nature of the relationship between earnings, and that self-determination and social interaction increase with more independent living environments and less segregated work environments achieving higher scores ( P < 0.000, P < 0.01 and P < 0.05 respectively). The scale also achieved a good degree of reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.79). Initial validity tests indicated that the Chinese Quality of Life Questionnaire - Intellectual Disabilities may be a useful instrument for measuring the quality of life of Chinese people with ID. Cultural issues are discussed and recommendations for future research and service development are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. This paper is a report of a descriptive study of Chinese abdominal surgical patients' and nurses' perceptions of discharge information needs. Background. Discharge from hospital poses a potential threat to surgical patients' lives because they have to cope in daily life with the consequences of the illness and surgery. Recent studies indicate that nurses often underestimate or inappropriately perceive patients' discharge information needs. Few studies have examined the discharge information needs of patients who have undergone abdominal surgery, and research in Asian populations is particularly scarce. Methods. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted in 2008. Semi-structured interviews were performed with a convenience sample of 16 patients who had undergone an abdominal surgery and their 16 nurses in a regional general hospital in Hong Kong. Results. Results of content analysis indicated that to both the surgical patients and their nurses, three similar categories of information needs on discharge were health concerns upon discharge, addressing patients' information needs, and obstacles that hindered information seeking. Specific needs related to finance, knowledge of illness, psychological support and role of diet and traditional Chinese medicine perceived as important by the patients were underestimated by the surgical nurses and revealed important issues in providing holistic and culture-specific nursing care for surgical patients upon discharge. Conclusion. Surgical patients' information needs on finance, illness condition, psychological support and cultural practices were found not to be accurately and adequately understood by their nurses. Nurses should give culturally specific and appropriate predischarge education in terms of promotion of recovery from surgery, health maintenance practice and psychological support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an innovative electronic medical records (EMR) system, RF-MediSys, which can perform medical information sharing and retrieval effectively and which is accessible via a 'smart' medical card. With such a system, medical diagnoses and treatment decisions can be significantly improved when compared with the conventional practice of using paper medical records systems. Furthermore, the entire healthcare delivery process, from registration to the dispensing or administration of medicines, can be visualised holistically to facilitate performance review. To examine the feasibility of implementing RF-MediSys and to determine its usefulness to users of the system, a survey was conducted within a multi-disciplinary medical service organisation that operates a network of medical clinics and paramedical service centres throughout Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories. Questionnaires were distributed to 300 system users, including nurses, physicians and patients, to collect feedback on the operation and performance of RF-MediSys in comparison with conventional paper-based medical record systems. The response rate to the survey was 67%. Results showed a medium to high level of user satisfaction with the radiofrequency identification (RFID)-based EMR system. In particular, respondents provided high ratings on both 'user-friendliness' and 'system performance'. Findings of the survey highlight the potential of RF-MediSys as a tool to enhance quality of medical services and patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. This paper reports a study to examine the effectiveness of a 6-month dementia care programme for Chinese families living with and caring for a relative with dementia, compared with routine family support services in Hong Kong. Background. Recognizing the adverse psychosocial health effects inherent in dementia care, different psychosocial interventions provided preliminary evidence of their effectiveness in improving family members' knowledge and skills in caregiving and delaying dementia sufferers' illness deterioration and institutionalization. Little is known about the effects of such interventions for family caregivers' psychosocial health conditions, particularly in non-Western populations. Methods. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 92 Chinese families of a relative with dementia in two dementia care centres in Hong Kong. They were randomly selected from a dementia client list and then randomly assigned to receive either the dementia family care programme (n = 46), or routine care only (n = 46). Clients' symptoms and institutionalization, and caregivers' quality of life, burden and social support at recruitment, 1 week, and 12 and 18 months following intervention were measured and compared between the study groups using repeated measures MANOVAs followed by Helmert's contrast tests. Data was collected over a period of 24 months, between September 2007 and August 2009. Results. Results of the MANOVAs and contrast tests indicated that at 18-month follow-up, participants in the family programme reported significantly greater improvements in clients' symptoms and institutionalization rates, and caregivers' quality of life and burden, when compared with their counterparts in the routine care group. Conclusion. These findings provide evidence that the dementia care family programme can improve the psychosocial functioning of both clients with dementia and their family caregivers in a Chinese population. Further research is recommended to investigate whether this intervention can also apply to families with different socioeconomic backgrounds and across cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. This paper is a report of a study of the effect of music on the quality of life of community-dwelling older Chinese people in Hong Kong. Background. Older people's quality of life can be improved by preparing for the transition into old age. Listening to music, as a vehicle for feeling, can facilitate the non-verbal expression of emotion, reaching people's inner feelings without being threatening, and it can be a tool for emotional catharsis. Method. A randomized controlled trial design was conducted from in 2007 in a community centre in Hong Kong. A total of 66 older people (31 in music group and 35 in control group), aged from 65 to 90 years were randomly assigned to undergo either a 30-minute music intervention or a rest period for 4 weeks; quality of life outcomes were then measured. Results. Quality of life improved weekly in the music group, indicating a cumulative dose effect, and a statistically significantly better quality of life was found over time in each sub-score for those in the music group compared with the controls. However, in the music group, there were no statistically significant improvements of quality of life in each sub-score over the 4 weeks. Conclusion. Being engaged in music activities can help a person to connect with their life experiences and with other people, and to be more stimulated. Music is a non-invasive, simple and inexpensive therapeutic method of improving quality of life in community-dwelling elders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. This paper is a report of a study comparing children with smoking parents and those with non-smoking parents, in terms of knowledge and attitude towards smoking and the influence of parents and peers on smoking initiation. Background. Adolescence is a developmental stage when smoking habits are likely to start. Adolescents are most influenced by the smoking habits of their parents and friends. Method. A cross-section study was conducted with students aged 13-15 years in two schools in 2008, using a questionnaire that collected information on the smoking habits of their parents and peers, knowledge and attitude towards smoking, initiation and inclination towards smoking. Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression were used to analyse the data. Results. A total of 257 of 575 (44.7%) students had smoking parent(s), and 25.4% reported having peers who smoked. Children with non-smoking parents were more likely than those with smoking parents to consider 'smoking as disgusting' (67.3% vs. 45.9%), and to know that 'smoking is addictive' (80.5% vs. 70.4%) and 'harmful to health' (81.8% vs. 67.7%). More of those with smoking parents had tried smoking than those with non-smoking parents (13.2% vs. 3.8%). Conclusion. Preventive programmes should involve smoking parents to increase their awareness of the impact their smoking has on their children. Interventions should include problem-solving skills for children to deal with daily stresses and thus eradicate the potential risk of smoking initiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

yu d.s.f.(2010) Insomnia Severity Index: psychometric properties with Chinese community-dwelling older people. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(10), 2350–2359. Aim. This paper is a report of a study to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Insomnia Severity Index. Background. Despite the high prevalence of insomnia in older people and its detrimental impact on well-being and healthcare costs, this problem is almost always undetected and consequently under-treated. The Insomnia Severity Index is psychometrically sound in measuring perceived insomnia severity. However, it has had very limited application in non-White populations. Methods. An instrument validation study was carried out between October 2008 and April 2009. The Insomnia Severity Index was translated into Chinese using Brislin’s model and administered to a convenience sample of 585 older Chinese people recruited from three community centres for elders. Other instruments were also administered, including the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Results. Cronbach’s alpha of the Chinese version of the Insomnia Severity Index was 0·81, with item-to-total correlations in the range of 0·34–0·67. Construct validity was supported by its moderate relationship with the Chinese Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and sleep efficiency. The Chinese version of the Insomnia Severity Index also indicated more severe level of insomnia in older people who reported depressed mood on the Geriatric Depression Scale. Discriminant validity was supported as the Chinese version of the Insomnia Severity Index could discriminate poorer sleepers from normal sleepers. Exploratory factor analysis identified a two-factor structure for the Chinese version of the Insomnia Severity Index in measuring the severity and impacts of insomnia on the Chinese older people. Conclusion. The Chinese version of the Insomnia Severity Index is a culturally-relevant and psychometrically-sound instrument for assessing severity and impact of insomnia in Chinese community-dwelling older people. Nurses can use this tool to assess older people’s perceptions of insomnia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a research paper which examines the non-audit services (NASs), competition, rank and types of auditors, in respect of the independence problem which relates to the practices of Hong Kong auditors in the post-Enron environment. The research uses four independent variables identified from literature gaps namely NASs, levels of competition, auditors of different ranks and types of auditors. Mixed ANOVA are employed to analyze survey responses from 207 "Big 4" and 185 "non-Big 4" auditors. The study showed that the provisions of NASs and high competition could have a negative influence on auditors' perceptions of independence.

This paper investigates perceptions on ethics amongst surveyors working in Hong Kong. Objectives of the study are to develop an organisational ethics model, to examine the dominant and significantly different ethical climate and culture types amongst private- and public-sector organisations That employ surveyors, and to determine any effects of the existence of ethical codes. It is postulated that ethical behaviours have an impact on the final project outcome. The empirical work is of survey design and the data are analysed using principal component factor analysis, correlation and analysis of variance. The results yield a number of factors and the strength of factors present differs between public and private organisations with a large number of respondent indicating uncertainty of the presence of ethical codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a paediatric motor speech disorder. We investigated the lexical tone perception and production abilities of children with CAS and the relationships between the two. Three children with CAS, aged between 3;7 and 5;8, were given the Cantonese Tone Identification Test (CANTIT) and the Hong Kong Cantonese Articulation Test (HKCAT) for assessment of tone perception and production, respectively. Accuracy and error patterns were investigated based on their performance on the two tests. Correlation analysis was performed on children's perception and production scores. Two children scored at the lowest rank on the CANTIT, while one child obtained a Z score of 0. All children scored three standard deviations below the mean on the HKCAT. No statistical differences were found among the six tones with respect to perception accuracy, H(5) = 3.731, p = 0.589. Error analysis showed that children with CAS demonstrated more confusion on perceiving tones compared with TD peers. There were no main effects for task (F(1,2) = 0.040, p = 0.859) or tone (F(5,10 = 0.997, p = 0.467); nor were there task or tone interaction effects on perception versus production accuracy (F(5,10) = 1.772, p = 0.206). Tone perception and production accuracy were not significantly correlated (r2 = 0.181, p = 0.078). Tone perception deficits were evident in two out of three children with CAS, while all children had lexical tone production difficulties. In this small sample, tone production was more universally affected than tone perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a two-group discriminant analysis of the characteristics of problem firms in Hong Kong. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the common financial characteristics which distinguish problem firms from nonproblem firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether students with intellectual disability (ID) alone differ from students with combined individual disability and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their recognition of emotions. The ability to recognise emotions does not mean that students automatically know how to react to these emotions. Differences in performance on recognition and reaction tasks are examined. Participants were 20 primary 6 students who had ID with ASD and 20 primary 6 students who had ID without ASD from four special schools. The testing and training materials were adapted from a local teaching package. The results showed that both groups exhibited similar performance patterns in recognition tasks. Students with comorbid ASD exhibited inferior performance in tasks requiring reactions to complex emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiritual well-being (SWB) is a key construct in a holistic health model. This study applied a theory-driven mobile health-supported volunteer-assisted self-help (mVS) intervention to enhance SWB for discharged older patients through a medical-social-academia tripartite collaboration. This study followed a quasi-experimental design, conducted from 2017 to 2019. Data were collected from pre- and post-intervention assessment and Clinical Management System under the Hospital Authority in Hong Kong. SWB was assessed by the Spirituality Scale for Chinese Elders with seven domains, a validated scale suitable for the non-religious context. A total of 161 discharged older patients were recruited, 101 received the mVS intervention and 60 received standardized usual volunteer visits. mVS intervention was assisted by volunteers supported by a corresponding mobile application Fu Le Man Xin. The final analysis included 137 older patients living in Hong Kong aged 61 to 94 years. Repeated measures ANOVA showed mVS intervention significantly enhanced two domains of SSCE: meaning of life (F(1, 64) = 4.029, p =.049) and relationship with others (F(1, 57) = 6.428, p =.014). This study shows that mVS intervention is a feasible medical-social-academia tripartite collaboration that improves two domains of the SWB of discharged older patients: meaning of life and relationship with others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Affiliate stigma of family caregivers may severely influence family caregiving, early treatment, and recovery of people with mental illness (PMI), and it may be impacted by the knowledge of mental illness and contact with PMI. However, little is known about the correlation between affiliate stigma of family caregivers of PMI and contact in Hong Kong. Aims: This study aimed to investigate affiliate stigma and its influencing factors among family caregivers of PMI in Hong Kong. Methods: A total of 106 family caregivers in Hong Kong participated in the study. The measurements included affiliate stigma, contacts (quantity, quality, and level), knowledge, prejudice, and discriminatory behaviors. Multiple regression analyses were employed. Results: The mean score of affiliate stigma scale (ASS) in family caregivers was 2.17 (SD = 0.65). In regression analyses, the results showed that contact quantity and contact level were significantly associated with higher affiliate stigma and its cognitive domain, while contact quality (e.g. positive contact) were significantly associated with lower affiliate stigma and its all domains among family caregivers. The positive relationship between prejudicial attitudes and affiliate stigma was also found. Conclusions: Affiliate stigma is severe among family caregivers of PMI in Hong Kong. The results of this study indicate that contact, especially positive contact, contributes to reducing affiliate stigma among family caregivers of PMI. The results of this study are important for development of health policy on reducing stigma in family caregivers of PMI. The effectiveness of Enhancing Contact Model (ECM) should be examined in future anti-stigma interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The study aimed to explore and compare stress, coping, professional identity and work locus of control of new graduate nurses among Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei. Background: The transition from a student to a staff nurse role is recognized as a stressful experience and can be a rough journey. Many newly graduated nurses find it challenging to cope with their new roles in their first few months. Methods: A cross‐sectional research was used in the study. This study was completed in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei with newly graduated nurses working in hospitals. A total of 591 graduate nurses who had worked within 1 year in hospitals were recruited using convenient sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, including demographics, the occupational stress scale, the Chinese trait coping style questionnaire, the nurse professional identity scale and the work locus of control scale (Chinese version). Results: The newly graduated nurses in Shanghai had significantly lower (p < 0.05) work stress score (2.65 ± 0.67) compared with their counterparts in Hong Kong (2.99 ± 0.69) and Taipei (2.94 ± 0.60). Newly graduated nurses in Shanghai tended to choose positive coping to deal with stressful situations, whereas those in Hong Kong would be more likely to adopt negative attitudes (p < 0.05). The newly graduated nurses in Taipei had the lowest level of professional identity (3.25 ± 0.55, p < 0.05), and their work control tended to be external (46.13 ± 6.20). In contrast, those in Shanghai (52.75 ± 6.04) and Hong Kong (59.41 ± 7.29) tended to be controlled internally. Conclusions: The study findings revealed the differences among newly graduated nurses in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei with their level of stress, coping, professional identity and work locus of control. Proper leadership, mentoring for newly graduated nurses, and emphasis on first aid nursing training, emotional management and management of stress in newly graduated nurse transition programmes were suggested. Implications for Nursing Management: By comparing the results in the three regions, we recommend that nursing managers promote the right leadership style. In addition to coaching, nursing managers can assign additional mentors to newly graduated nurses to help them supplement their clinical knowledge and skills with psychological support. These mentors can come from senior nurses or nursing managers working on less demanding tasks. In addition to the existing post transfer training programmes, new graduate nurses should also focus on emergency nursing training, emotional management training and stress management training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Hong Kong, an increasing number of outdoor exercise facilities have been established in public open spaces to promote physical activity (PA) in older adults. However, no intervention is dedicated in educating the public on how to make use of these resources to fulfil the PA guidelines based on behavioural change theory. This study has two phases, phase one aims to describe the participatory development of the intervention, and phase two is the evaluation of a public outdoor exercise facilities‐based PA education intervention for community‐dwelling older adults. A mixed‐methods participatory design was used to evaluate the impact of the intervention. PA behaviour was assessed as the fulfilment of the PA recommendations by World Health Organization, and the Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA) scale at baseline, immediately, and 3 and 6 months post‐intervention. Psychosocial constructs and physical assessments were carried out at both pre‐ and post‐intervention. Individual in‐depth interviews were conducted at post‐intervention. Forty‐seven participants were enrolled in the intervention. The average adherence rate was 90.87%. PA significantly increased after the intervention and remained elevated for the following 6 months. Post‐intervention, the qualitative findings supported the quantitative findings at both the individual and social levels. However, findings regarding the change in participants' usage of environmental resources were divergent. The intervention was well‐received by the participating older adults, as reflected by the high adherence rate. Both quantitative and qualitative data demonstrated the overall impacts of the intervention for creating sustainable changes in PA behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The present study objectively examined the consistency (thickness) of labels that are used in Hong Kong for the population with dysphagia using an International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) flow test and Bostwick consistometric measurements. Methods: Liquids were prepared by thickening water to achieve 4 consistency labels (slightly thick, mildly thick, medium thick, and extra thick) according to manufacturer's instructions, employing 2 types of thickening products that are used in Hong Kong, i.e., starch based and gum based. For each consistency label prepared using each thickening product, the IDDSI flow test and consistometric measurements were obtained and compared. Results: The results showed that the actual thickness of liquids was highly dependent on the type of thickener (starch based vs. gum based) used. Thickened liquids prepared using the starch-based thickener were generally thinner than the actual value at a lower concentration. Conclusion: Though prepared strictly following the manufacturer's instructions, the thickened liquids fail to faithfully correlate with the standardized norms established according to the IDDSI framework and the objective consistometric measurement using a Bostwick consistometer. Therefore, caution must be exercised when administering a thickened diet following the manufacturer's instructions for patients with dysphagia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This pilot study developed an adventure-based cognitive behavioral intervention (aCBI) program and tests its effectiveness in improving the mental health of Chinese university students in Hong Kong. Method: A total of 217 undergraduate students participated in an aCBI program in the form of an interdisciplinary general education course in a university in Hong Kong. A battery of standardized online questionnaires was administered to the students before joining and upon completion of the course, and at a 3-month follow-up test. Results: The participants showed a significant reduction of psychological distress, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and negative thoughts and emotions and a significant increase of positive thoughts upon immediate completion of the program. The positive effects maintained at the 3-month follow-up test. Conclusion: The integration of cognitive behavioral intervention and adventure training in a class setting might be an effective and feasible approach for the mental health counseling of university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Using the client satisfaction approach, this study examined university students' perceived attributes and benefits of a leadership subject which attempts to promote student well-being. We also studied the psychometric properties of the related evaluation tool. Method: Undergraduate students who enrolled in the course over 6 years (2013/14 to 2018/19) in a university in Hong Kong completed a subjective outcome evaluation tool (N =10,484). Results: The evaluation tool possesses acceptable convergent validity, concurrent validity, and factorial validity. Students showed positive perceptions of the course, instructors, and benefits of the course. Conclusion: Findings suggest that university students had favorable perceptions of this credit-bearing leadership development subject based on the positive youth development approach. This subject serves as a good prototype for teachers, social workers, and allied professionals to develop and evaluate similar programs targeting university students. Social workers and teachers can also use the validated tool in research and evaluation contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stochastic variance reduced gradient (SVRG) is a popular variance reduction technique for accelerating stochastic gradient descent (SGD). We provide a first analysis of the method for solving a class of linear inverse problems in the lens of the classical regularization theory. We prove that for a suitable constant step size schedule, the method can achieve an optimal convergence rate in terms of the noise level (under suitable regularity condition) and the variance of the SVRG iterate error is smaller than that by SGD. These theoretical findings are corroborated by a set of numerical experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Women frequently report breastfeeding problems in the early postpartum period. Women who have self-endorsed beliefs that breastfeeding benefits their babies and themselves are more likely to continue breastfeeding despite breastfeeding barriers. Maternal self-endorsed beliefs is a key component of maternal self-regulated motivation. The present study examined the association between maternal self-regulated motivation, breastfeeding duration and exclusivity in Chinese women. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study, of which we recruited participants in postnatal maternity units of publicly funded hospitals in Hong Kong. Postpartum women were asked to fill in the validated breastfeeding self-regulation questionnaire (BSRQ) before hospital discharge and their breastfeeding status was assessed by telephone follow-ups at 6 and 12 weeks postpartum. Multiple logistic regression was used to study the relationship between breastfeeding self-regulated motivation and the duration of breastfeeding at follow-up. Results: At 6 and 12 weeks postpartum, women who breastfed exclusively scored significantly higher in self-regulated motivation than those who formula-fed. The self-regulated motivation was associated with higher odds of exclusive breastfeeding at 6 weeks and any breastfeeding at 12 weeks postpartum. Conclusions for Practice: The study found that self-regulated motivation was positively related to breastfeeding duration. Maternal self-regulated motivation toward breastfeeding could be enhanced by the availability of social support and breastfeeding-friendly facilities, resulting in longer breastfeeding duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes among working population brings to society concerns on productivity and social welfare cost, in addition to healthcare burden. While lower socio‐economic status has been recognised as a risk factor of diabetes; occupation, compared with other socio‐economic status indicators (e.g., education and income), has received less attention. There is some evidence from studies conducted in Europe that occupation is associated with diabetes risk, but less is known in Asia, which has different organisational cultures and management styles from the West. This study examines the association between occupation and diabetes risk in a developed Asian setting, which is experiencing an increasing number of young onset of diabetes and aging working population at the same time. This is a cross‐sectional study of working population aged up to 65 with data from a population‐based survey collecting demographic, socio‐economic, behavioural and metabolic data from Hong Kong residents, through both self‐administered questionnaires and clinical health examinations (1,429 participants). Non‐skilled occupation was found to be an independent risk factor for diabetes, with an odds ratio (OR) of 3.38 (p < 0.001) and adjusted OR of 2.59 (p = 0.022) after adjusting for demographic, behavioural and metabolic risk factors. Older age (adjusted OR = 1.08, p < 0.001), higher body mass index (adjusted OR = 1.23, p < 0.001) and having hypertriglyceridemia (adjusted OR = 1.93, p = 0.033) were also independently associated with diabetes. Non‐skilled workers were disproportionately affected by diabetes with the highest age‐standardized prevalence (6.3%) among all occupation groups (4.9%–5.0%). This study provides evidence that non‐skilled occupation is an independent diabetes risk factor in a developed Asian setting. Health education on improving lifestyle practices and diabetes screening should prioritise non‐skilled workers, in particular through company‐based and sector‐based diabetes screening programmes. Diabetes health service should respond to the special needs of non‐skilled workers, including service at non‐office hour and practical health advice in light of their work setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to establish a new COVID‐19 Fear (Higher Education) scale to investigate the relationship between fear and generalised anxiety symptoms among Chinese students in mainland China, Hong Kong, and other countries. 219 Chinese university students studying in universities in mainland China (n = 76, 34.7%), Hong Kong (n = 66, 30.1%), and overseas (i.e., outside of China as international students, n = 77, 35.2%) participated in an online study from March 31, 2020 to April 4. Participants completed a newly developed COVID‐19 Fear (Higher Education) scale to measure three domains of fear including fear of infection, fear of instability and fear of insecurity related to the COVID‐19 pandemic. They also completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7‐item scale (GAD‐7) on the severity of anxiety symptoms. About 9.6% of the participants could be classified as exhibiting high anxiety level according to the GAD‐7. More students studying overseas (about 15%) were classified into the high GAD group when compared to students studying in both mainland China (6.6%) and Hong Kong (6.1%). MANOVA results showed that students studying in Hong Kong and overseas had more concerns related to preventive measures related to COVID‐19 than their mainland counterparts did. We concluded that international students studying away from their home country would have higher risk to develop anxiety problems during a collective trauma such as the COVID‐19 pandemic. Education institutions should provide support services including online support groups, social media groups for mutual support to alleviate the fear and anxiety of international students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practitioners and researchers from China, the largest user of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), have been publishing an increasing number of scientific articles in world-famous CAM journals in recent years. However, the status of CAM research in the three major regions of China, the Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong has, until now, not been reported. In this study, we compared articles from these three regions published in international CAM journals from 2000 to 2009 using PubMed database and the Journal Citation Reports. The study results showed that the number of published articles from Mainland China increased significantly from 2000 to 2009, particularly since 2005. Meanwhile, the number of published articles from Taiwan also increased, whereas those from Hong Kong remained steady. Clinical trials and randomized controlled trials from Chinese authors both took a small percentage of the total. The impact factors of the journals in which these articles were published suggested similar academic levels whereas the average number of citation of articles from the Mainland was less than those from the other two regions. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, American Journal of Chinese Medicine, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine were the most popular journals for Chinese authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study reported in this paper was aimed at developing understanding of schizophrenia-related knowledge and preferences surrounding professional help, medication, and treatment methods among Chinese living in Shanghai, China. Method: A multi-stage cluster sampling method in which participants were taken from six of the 20 districts in Shanghai was adopted for this study. The 522 Shanghai Chinese participants were presented with a vignette describing an individual with schizophrenia before being asked questions designed to assess both their understanding of schizophrenia and their preferences surrounding professional help, medication, and treatment methods. A comparative approach was adopted to identify similarities and differences between our findings and those of two previous studies on the mental health literacy of Chinese living in Melbourne, Australia and Hong Kong, respectively. Results: A lower percentage of Shanghai Chinese than Hong Kong Chinese and Australian Chinese could correctly identify the condition described in the vignette as a case of acute schizophrenia. Although a far lower percentage of Shanghai Chinese endorsed the use of counselling professionals, a much higher percentage of the same group endorsed Chinese medical doctors and herbal medication. A lower percentage of Shanghai Chinese endorsed ''lifestyle changes'' as a strategy for dealing with schizophrenia than did Chinese subjects living in Australia and Hong Kong. On the other hand, a higher percentage of Shanghai residents endorsed psychiatric treatment and the traditional Chinese practices of ''eating nutritious food/taking supplements'' than among the other two groups of Chinese. Conclusions: This study highlights the need for educating Chinese in Shanghai to improve their schizophrenia literacy. The contents of the education programmes will need to take into consideration the socially and culturally driven beliefs that may have been influencing the knowledge and preferences of Shanghai Chinese concerning professional help, medication, and treatment methods for people suffering from schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Stigmatizing attitudes toward people with disabilities can jeopardize such individuals' well-being and recovery through denial of employment and community isolation. By shaping social norms that define group membership, the construct of individualism may partially explain differences in stigmatizing attitudes across cultures. Further, widespread globalization has brought intensely individualistic social practices to certain segments of non-Western cultures. This paper examines whether the construct of individualism can help to explain cross-cultural differences in stigmatizing attitudes observed between American and Chinese employers. Design: Employers (N = 879) from Beijing, Hong Kong, and Chicago provided information on their attitudes toward hiring people with disabilities, and path analyses were conducted to examine potential mediating relationships. Results: Path analyses indicated that vertical individualism, along with perceived responsibility for acquiring a condition, partially mediated the relationship between culture and employers' negative attitudes about job candidates with disabilities. Conclusion: These results suggested that greater espousal of competitive and individualist values may drive stigmatizing attitudes across cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lee YM, Hung YK, Mo FKF, Ho WM. International Journal of Nursing Practice 2010; 16: 508-516 Comparison between ambulatory infusion mode and inpatient infusion mode from the perspective of quality of life among colorectal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy Folfox and Folfiri are active chemotherapy treatments used in advanced colorectal cancer. The total admission for these treatments has been significantly increasing in the study hospital. An ambulatory infusion programme was launched to address the problems of long waiting list and bed shortage. The study objective was to compare the quality of life between patients receiving the chemotherapy treatments in the ambulatory infusion group and the inpatient infusion group. The results showed that some demographic variables of education level, family role and employment status were determinants of the treatment mode. Patients in the ambulatory infusion group of social and global domains performed better than the inpatient group. However, the inpatient group had better quality of life of nauseated symptom at different stages. Some nursing educations should be reinforced to address the symptom management for patients receiving ambulatory infusion at home. The ambulatory infusion programme offered considerable quality of life benefits to colorectal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we carry out the empirical numerical study of the l[sub∞] portfolio selection model where the objective is to minimize the maximum individual risk. We compare the numerical performance of this model with that of the Markowitz's quadratic programming model by using real data from the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. Our computational results show that the l[sub∞] model has a similar performance to the Markowitz's model and that the l[sub∞], model is not sensitive to the data. For the situation with only two assets, we establish that the expected return of the minimum variance model is less than that of the minimum l[sub∞] model when both variance and the return rate of one asset is less than the corresponding values of another asset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models of education delivering content teaching through learners' second language have rapidly increased in recent decades and are thought to offer a 'naturally' motivating context for learners to use and learn the medium of instruction (MoI). However, the relationship between MoI and language learning motivation (LLM) specifically is under-explored. In light of calls for contextually responsive theorizations of LLM, this study examines interactions between English language learning motivation (ELLM) and micro (MoI classrooms) and macro (schools) contexts in Hong Kong. ELLM measures were administered to Hong Kong secondary school learners of English (N = 3854), aged 11–14, studying in English, Chinese and Mixed mode of instruction schools. ANOVA results indicate higher levels of ELLM among EMI students on most measures and effects of MoI on three LLM constructs. The results support the relevance of a required orientation in explaining participants' ELLM and challenge the applicability of the ideal L2 self, which may be attributable to context rather than cultural difference. Implications are discussed for existing understandings of the MoI-LLM relationship, as well as discussions around culturally relevant theorizations of LLM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]