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Hong Kong people are being encouraged to do 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week to benefit their health.
The appeal was made by the Assistant Director, Department of Health (DH), Dr Regina Ching, at a press conference today (November 25).
"Thirty minutes a day on physical activity means only two per cent of our time. We can do several periods of exercise which add up to 30 minutes in a day, but each should last for at least 10 minutes. Or we can accumulate a total of 3.5 hours in a week for beneficial purposes," she said.
"The messages are promoted in the 'Healthy Exercise for All' Campaign which focuses on incorporating physical activities into our daily life so that we can exercise sufficiently wherever we are and regardless of age and sex," Dr Ching said.
The slogan of "Daily exercise keeps us fit, people of all ages can do it" is adopted for the whole "Healthy Exercise for All" Campaign, which has been jointly organised by DH and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department since April, 2000.
The response from the general public to the campaign was favourable. Between 75,000 and 90,000 attendees participated in the activities organised under the "Healthy Exercise for All" Campaign each year.
"In view of the favourable response, we will sustain efforts to enhance public awareness on the importance of regular exercise for health through a series of promotional events," Dr Ching said.
The DH conducted a Behavioural Risk Factor Survey in February, 2004, and found that 35.9% of the 1,715 respondents had done moderate physical activities for at least 10 minutes during the preceding seven days. The result was comparable to similar figures estimated by the World Health Organisation. This level of physical activity was clearly not enough for optimal health gain.
"We must not forego opportunities for doing exercises in our daily lives and stair climbing is a good choice. It can be done almost anywhere and at anytime. It is a low-cost and readily accessible form of exercise that provides a series of health benefits if we do it everyday," Dr Ching said.
Stair climbing provides the following benefits:
* Enhances heart and lung function and improve blood circulation;
* Reduces the risk of developing coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes or colon cancer;
* Increases body resistance, reduces the chance of contracting diseases and increases efficiency at work;
* Leads to healthy bones and lowers the risk of osteoporosis;
* Strengthens muscles; and
* Decreases body fat and controls body weight.
Dr Ching suggested that people could incorporate stair climbing into daily life by using stairs instead of elevators or escalators if possible. They could also walk a few flights of stairs when going to work or going home.
A stair climbing pilot programme was launched to promote use of stairs last year which involved 36 blocks from 8 public housing estates. An evaluation study was conducted between November, 2003, and January, 2004 . Findings showed that the overall stair utility in these estates was increased by 20% after the programme.
"In view of the favourable results, we plan to extend the programme to more housing estates. We will also encourage community groups to promote stair use in their own settings. An information kit (with a guidebook) and a mini-web are produced for this purpose. Apart from these promotional activities, we are also exploring the possibility of extending the programme to other public venues such as libraries and sports centres. We hope that our stair climbing programme will help more people lead an active life. We strongly believe that for people to adopt an active life, healthier choices must be easier choices." she said.
For more information on stair climbing, please call the Central Health Education Unit Hotline, 2833 0111. Information can also be obtained from our "Stair Climbing to Health" website at http://stairclimbing.cheu.gov.hk and DH's health educational homepage at http://www.cheu.gov.hk under "What's New".
Ends/Thursday, November 25, 2004
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