*****************************************
The concerted efforts of the community in keeping the city clean and healthy will provide us all with a stronger shield against communicable and non-communicable diseases, the Director of Health, Dr PY Lam, said today (November 19).
Dr Lam was speaking at the opening ceremony of the "Building Healthy Cities in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Seminar" organised by the Department of Health to promote the concept of "healthy cities" and to encourage collaborative efforts in the community to build healthy cities at the district level.
He said that in view of global concern about the prevention of communicable diseases, the concept of "healthy cities" provided an effective mechanism and network for health promotion and disease prevention at the district level.
"In implementing a healthy city model in a district, improvement of personal, environmental and home hygiene will be attained more effectively by collaborative efforts from the District Councils, government departments, District Offices and local non-government organisations," he said.
The "healthy cities" initiative was introduced in line with the Healthy Cities movement launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1986 to improve health by mobilising collective action to tackle health and environmental problems at the local level.
The first "healthy cities" project in Hong Kong was initiated in Tseung Kwan O in 1997.
The movement rapidly extended to other districts including Sai Kung, Kwai Tsing, Wan Chai, Sham Shui Po, Southern, Central and Western, Wong Tai Sin, Tai Po, Islands, Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan.
In addition, Dr Lam said, Hong Kong was also seeing an increase in non-communicable diseases, including cancers, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases as risk factors, such as unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use were affecting many people.
"We can deliver health messages on non-communicable diseases to residents through district-based projects," he said.
By introducing the "healthy cities" concept to the community, The Department of Health will further engage district partners in related activities and encourage interested parties to join the efforts. The "healthy cities" approach facilitates integrated policy-making, inter-sectoral action and community participation in solutions that improve population health.
The seminar was attended by Dr Linda Milan of WHO's Western Pacific Regional Office as a supporter. Speakers at the seminar were Professor Evelyne de Leeuw of Deakin University, Australia, Professor SH Lee, Emeritus Professor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Dr Lam Ching Choi of Sai Kung District Council¡¦s Healthy City and Community Affairs Committee, Dr Chow Chun Bong of Kwai Tsing Safe Community and Healthy City Association and Dr C Y Mok of the Department of Health's Community Liaison Division.
Topics for discussion at the seminar included "Healthy Cities ¡V A Model for Hong Kong", "Decades of Achievement - Moving into the Future", "Lessons for the Future", "From an NGO Initiative to a Community Movement", and "Experience Sharing - Establishment of Kwai Tsing Safe Community & Healthy City in Hong Kong".
During the seminar, the Department of Health also introduced a newly published booklet on a model of good practice for "healthy cities" in Hong Kong,"Building Healthy Cities - Guidelines for Implementing a Healthy Cities Project in Hong Kong". It aimed to provide a concise practical guide that would be relevant to the Hong Kong Healthy Cities setting.
The seminar was attended by over 200 participants from District Offices, District Councils, District Healthy Cities Steering Committees or Working Groups, 18 government departments, and scholars from the University of Hong Kong and Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Ends/Saturday, November 19, 2005
Issued at HKT 11:00
NNNN