April 27, 2023
HONG KONG – Hong Kong is experiencing a worsening obesity problem as residents embrace salty diets, according to the results of a SAR government health survey released on Wednesday.
The Report of Population Health Survey (PHS) 2020-22 Part II by the Department of Health (DH) showed that three in 10 residents in the city were obese, with over 80 percent having a high salt intake.
It found that 83.9 percent of respondents took more than 5 grams of salt per day, the World Health Organization’s recommended limit, while 90.9 percent of interviewees consumed less than the WHO recommendation of 3.5 grams of potassium
It surveyed 16,000 non-hospitalized residents, aged over 15, from November 2020 through February 2022. The report, which is the third territory-wide health survey, found that 32.6 percent of those aged 15 to 84 to be obese.
The department said the prevalence of obesity and being overweight–factors linked with diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cancer–increased from 50 percent in the PHS conducted in 2014-15 to 54.6 percent in the latest survey, possibly due to a significant increase in physical inactivity among the public.
People with a body mass index (BMI) of over 23 are considered overweight while those that exceed 25 are obese.
The survey also found the diet of most of the city’s residents to be unhealthy, with a high salt intake but not enough potassium.
It found that 83.9 percent of respondents took more than 5 grams of salt per day, the World Health Organization’s recommended limit, while 90.9 percent of interviewees consumed less than the WHO recommendation of 3.5 grams of potassium.
According to the report, the average risk of cardiovascular disease for individuals aged 30 to 74 in Hong Kong will be 11.4 percent over the next 10 years, which translates to 114 individuals per 1,000 people.
The prevalence of hypertension in the latest survey is 29.5 percent, which is slightly higher than the 27.7 percent reported in the health survey conducted in 2014-15. Over 40 percent of patients with hypertension were unaware that they had the disease until a physical examination was conducted.
A spokesperson for the DH emphasized the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle, including maintaining sufficient physical activity, having a balanced diet, keeping a healthy body weight, not smoking, and avoiding alcohol consumption, to prevent non-communicable diseases, including cancer.
People with chronic diseases should have regular follow-ups with healthcare professionals, and the public should seek medical advice when necessary for health assessments, prompt disease detection, and timely management, the spokesperson added.
The first part of the report, covering the results of the household survey, was published in December.
It showed that those aged 18 or older fell short of the physical activities recommended by the WHO, which is at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week.