Increasing trends of household secondhand smoke exposure and widening socioeconomic disparities in Hong Kong adolescents, 2010-2020.

Introduction: To assess 10-year trends (2010-2020) in household secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe) from inside their own homes and from their neighbours in Hong Kong adolescents and analyse changes by socioeconomic status (SES).

Methods: Data from the 2010 to 2020 School-based Smoking Survey among Students (total responses were 228,623) were analysed in 2023. Weighted prevalence and temporal trends of SHSe were calculated across years.

Economic costs of tobacco-related diseases in Hong Kong in 2021.

Background: Hong Kong has one of the lowest smoking prevalence both within China and among high-income economies. As tobacco use consistently declined over the past decades, we examine whether there are corresponding cost reductions.

Methods: Data were sourced from diverse population-wide datasets including government reports and public hospital records.

Mobile chat messaging for preventing relapse among people who recently quit smoking: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Most smokers who achieve short-term abstinence relapse even when aided by evidence-based cessation treatment. Mobile health presents a promising but largely untested avenue for providing adjunct behavioral support for relapse prevention. This paper presents the rationale and design of a randomized controlled trial aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of personalized mobile chat messaging support for relapse prevention among people who recently quit smoking.

Brief Intervention to Promote Physical Activity and Mental Well-Being in Community Adults: A Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a brief community-based intervention to promote physical activity (PA) and the mental well-being of adults in Hong Kong.

Methods: A pilot cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 15 family service centers. The intervention group (N = 162, 8 centers) received two 2-h interventions uniquely combining "Sharing, Mind and Enjoyment (SME)," Zero-time Exercises (ZTEx), positive psychology, and simple family games.

Ecological Momentary Assessment of Alcohol Marketing Exposure, Alcohol Use, and Purchases Among University Students: Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: The relationships between alcohol marketing exposure, alcohol use, and purchase have been widely studied. However, prospective studies examining the causal relationships in real-world settings using mobile health tools are limited.

Objective: We used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine both the within-person- and between-person-level effects of alcohol marketing exposure on any alcohol use, amount of alcohol use, any alcohol purchase, and frequency of alcohol purchase among university students.

Patterns and socioeconomic differences in secondhand exposure to cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products at home in Hong Kong adolescents.

Introduction: Smoke or aerosols from cigarettes, e-cigarettes (ECs), or heated tobacco products (HTPs) are harmful. Yet, there is little knowledge about the specific patterns of secondhand tobacco exposure by source within household settings and the socioeconomic status (SES) differences in adolescents.

Methods: We used territory-representative student data from a cross-sectional school-based survey in 2020-2021 to calculate the weighted prevalence of secondhand exposure to cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and HTPs in the past seven days.

Effect of Adding Personalized Instant Messaging Apps to a Brief Smoking Cessation Model in Community Smokers in Hong Kong: Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: While text messaging has proven effective for smoking cessation (SC), engagement in the intervention remains suboptimal.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate whether using more interactive and adaptive instant messaging (IM) apps on smartphones, which enable personalization and chatting with SC advisors, can enhance SC outcomes beyond the provision of brief SC advice and active referral (AR) to SC services.

Methods: From December 2018 to November 2019, we proactively recruited 700 adult Chinese daily cigarette users in Hong Kong.

A Brief Intervention With Instant Messaging or Regular Text Messaging Support in Reducing Alcohol Use: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Alcohol use is prevalent among university students. Mobile instant messaging apps could enhance the effectiveness of an alcohol brief intervention (ABI), but the evidence is scarce.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an ABI plus 3 months of mobile chat-based instant messaging support for alcohol reduction in university students at risk of alcohol use disorder.

Gamified Strength Recognition and Quiz to Enhance COVID-19 Prevention, Knowledge, Behaviors, and Family Well-Being.

Promoting COVID-19 prevention is key to pandemic control and innovative interventions can help communicate reliable science to the public. Under the Hong Kong Jockey Club SMART Family-Link Project, we developed and evaluated a pilot intervention for promoting COVID-19 prevention through a web-based family game, guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior and a strength-based approach. The "SMART Epidemic prevention" pilot theme was launched to the public on September 21, 2020 for 4 weeks.

Association between tobacco industry denormalisation beliefs and support for tobacco endgame policies: a population-based study in Hong Kong.

Objectives: To examine the associations between tobacco industry denormalisation (TID) beliefs and support for tobacco endgame policies.

Methods: A total of 2810 randomly selected adult respondents of population-based tobacco policy-related surveys (2018-2019) were included. TID beliefs (agree vs disagree/unsure) were measured by seven items: tobacco manufacturers ignore health, induce addiction, hide harm, spread false information, lure smoking, interfere with tobacco control policies and should be responsible for health problems.

Corrigendum: Risk perceptions and changes in tobacco use in relation to Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic: A qualitative study on adolescent tobacco users in Hong Kong.

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Impact of mandatory masking amid the COVID-19 pandemic on outdoor smoking: an interrupted time-series analysis of a 33-month unobtrusive observational study.

Background: Mask-wearing in outdoor public places in Hong Kong was mandated on 29 July 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to evaluate the impact of mandatory masking with no exemption for smoking on outdoor smoking.

Methods: We conducted 253 unobtrusive observations at 10 outdoor smoking hotspots in 33 months from July 2019 to March 2022 and counted smokers and non-smoking pedestrians in fixed boundaries.

Risk perceptions and changes in tobacco use in relation to Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic: A qualitative study on adolescent tobacco users in Hong Kong.

Introduction: Tobacco use is associated with an increased risk of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, severe COVID-19 outcomes requiring intensive care, and mortality. We investigated the perceived risk of and changes in cigarette, e-cigarette (EC) and heated tobacco product (HTP) use in relation to COVID-19 in Hong Kong adolescent tobacco users.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured telephone interviews from January to April 2021 and in February 2022 on 40 adolescents (65% boys, Secondary school grades 2-6) who participated in our previous smoking surveys and were using cigarettes, ECs or HTPs before the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020.

Cognitive Activities, Lifestyle Factors, and Risk of Cognitive Impairment, with an Analysis of the Apolipoprotein Epsilon 4 Genotype.

Introduction: Cognitive stimulating activities and a healthy lifestyle are associated with less cognitive impairment. However, whether the association is varied by Apolipoprotein epsilon 4 (APOE ε4) allele carrier status remains inconclusive. We aimed to investigate whether the association of cognitively stimulating activities and a healthy lifestyle with the risk of cognitive impairment varied by APOE ε4 allele carrier status.

Family context as a double-edged sword for psychological distress amid the COVID-19 pandemic with the mediating effect of individual fear and the moderating effect of household income.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic drives psychological distress. Previous studies have mostly focused on individual determinants but overlooked family factors. The present study aimed to examine the associations of individual and family factors with psychological distress, and the mediating effect of individual fear and the moderating role of household income on the above associations.

Factors associated with willingness and preferences to attend family services in Hong Kong: A population-based survey.

Objective: Family services are open to the community at large as well as vulnerable groups; however, little is known about the willingness of communities to attend such services. We investigated the willingness and preferences to attend family services and their associated factors (including sociodemographic characteristics, family wellbeing, and family communication quality) in Hong Kong.

Methods: A population-based survey was conducted on residents aged over 18 years from February to March 2021.

Cigarettes, heated tobacco products and dual use: exhaled carbon monoxide, saliva cotinine and total tobacco consumed by Hong Kong tobacco users.

Background: Independent studies on exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) and saliva cotinine levels in regular heated tobacco product (HTP) users, and how they compare with conventional cigarette (CC) smokers, are lacking.

Methods: A total of 3294 current users of CCs, HTPs or electronic cigarettes (ECs) from a household survey and a smoking hotspot survey were classified into seven groups: exclusive users of CCs, HTPs, ECs; dual users of CCs and HTPs, CCs and ECs, HTPs and ECs; and triple users. We measured exhaled CO level using the piCo Smokerlyzer (n=780) and saliva cotinine using NicAlert cotinine test strips (n=620).

Interactive Video-Based Passive Drinking and Forced Drinking Education to Reduce Intention to Drink in Adolescents: A Pre-Post Intervention Study.

Passive and forced drinking harm was prevalent but less recognized in Chinese adolescents. We educated adolescents on such harm to reduce their intention to drink. Students ( = 1244) from seven secondary schools in Hong Kong participated in a video-based health talk on passive and forced drinking harm.

Use of Information and Communications Technology in Family Services and Its Perceived Benefits amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hong Kong-Jockey Club SMART Family-Link Project.

Introduction: We examined information and communications technology (ICT) use in family services and its perceived benefits and barriers amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong.

Methods: We invited all family service social workers of 12 NGOs to complete an anonymous online questionnaire in May 2020 (Part A) and a management representative from each NGO to provide written feedback on ICT use in January 2021 (Part B).

Results: In Part A, of 255 respondents (response rate: 67.

Substantial increase in perceived benefits over harms of COVID-19 outbreak but persistent socioeconomic disparities: Comparison of two cross-sectional surveys in Hong Kong from 2020 to 2021.

Background: We have reported both perceived benefits and harms of the COVID-19 outbreak and their socioeconomic disparities amid the pandemic in Hong Kong. We further investigated whether such perceptions and disparities had changed after 10 months.

Methods: Under the Hong Kong Jockey Club SMART Family-Link Project, we conducted two cross-sectional surveys online on perceived personal and family benefits and harms of the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong adults in May 2020 (after Wave 2 was under control; = 4,891) and in February and March 2021 (after Wave 4 was under control; = 6,013).

Perception of heated tobacco products and support for regulations: a cross-sectional study in Hong Kong.

Background: Hong Kong has proposed banning the sale of heated tobacco products (HTPs). Perceptions of reduced harms and effectiveness for quitting combustible cigarettes (CCs) of HTPs due to their promotions may erode public support for regulations. We assessed the associations between perceptions of HTPs and support for regulations in Hong Kong.

Development and evaluation of two brief digital health promotion game booths utilizing augmented reality and motion detection to promote well-being at a gerontechnology summit in Hong Kong.

Background: The acceleration of population aging calls for simple and effective interventions catered for older people. Gerontechnology, the combination of gerontology and technology, can promote quality of life in older adults. However, public health-related events incorporating information communication technology (ICT) for older people have seldom been evaluated.

A Smartphone App for Promoting Mental Well-being and Awareness of Anxious Symptoms in Adolescents: A Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

To design a smartphone app and evaluate its effect on promoting mental well-being and awareness of anxious symptoms in adolescents. A pilot cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted with two secondary schools (390 students, mean age 13.1 years) randomized to the intervention and control groups.

COVID-19 pandemic fatigue and its sociodemographic and psycho-behavioral correlates: a population-based cross-sectional study in Hong Kong.

Pandemic fatigue is a growing public health concern of the lingering COVID-19 pandemic. Despite its widespread mass media coverage, systematic empirical investigations are scarce. Under the Hong Kong Jockey Club SMART Family-Link Project, we conducted online and telephone surveys amid the pandemic in February to March 2021 to assess self-reported pandemic fatigue (range 0-10) in Hong Kong adults (N = 4726) and its associations with sociodemographic and psycho-behavioral (high vs low to moderate) variables.