Bulletin Number Two 1982

health, the ability to deal with problems arising from the stress of urban life, performance and output, and the quality of life of adults; 7. to promote understanding of the role and function of physical activities in the urban setting; Phase III: 1984-1987 8. to develop programmes of effective physical education suitable for people living in a densely populated urban environment in which space, both within the home and outside it, is severely limited; 9. to facilitate community planning with a view to mitigating the effects of urban stress and improving the quality of life; and 10. to enable an estimate to be made of the cost of physical education and recreational programmes in relation to their benefits. Health & Fitness of School Children The Phase I study focuses on health and fitness of school children. The Asian Committee for Standardization of Physical Fitness Test (ACSPFT) was administered to some 7,000 school children randomly selected from classes in primary 4 and 6 and forms 1, 3, 5, and 7 throughout Hong Kong, Kowloon, and Shatin in the New Territories. Standardized academic test scores were obtained and the students were asked to complete a "lifestyle" questionnaire for assessing their perceptions of psychological health. A longitudinal study will also be pursued to keep track of the development of physical fitness and health status of a subsample in Shatin, which is a rapidly developing community with a population expected to grow from 200,000 to 500,000 by 1985. The longitudinal study aims to determine the influence of the rapid urbanization process on physical and mental adjustment. Analysis of the data will allow the investigators to draw inferences about the relationships between physical fitness, academic performance and life-styles related to urban living. Relationship Between Health and Productivity in Adults The overall focus of the Phase I I study will be twofold: (1) scientific analyses of the "exercise value" of various activities practised in both eastern and western communities, and (2) follow-up investigation of the relationships between physical fitness, mental health and productivity in adult samples. As part of the longitudinal study, students in the Shatin subsample will be retested every year for three years. To follow the students from adolescence to early adulthood also shifts the research setting from school to industry and businesss. The exercise patterns for the adult samples will be studied in connection with job satisfaction, work efficiency and productivity. The adult sample will be drawn by random selection of a family's principal wage-earner, aged 20-59, balanced to be representative of age, job classifications and geographic area. It is estimated that nearly 400 adults will be interviewed. From each of the sample adults, information will be collected in the following areas: health habits, health attitudes and beliefs, physical fitness patterns, stress symptoms, job and life satisfaction, self-concept, social support, and environmental preferences. Exercise Value of Various Activities Physical fitness activities engaged in by adults will be identified and selected for a scientific evaluation of their fitness-generating potential. Exercise values of selected Oriental martial arts, such as t’ai chi, ch'i kung, tae kwon do, wing ch'un, karate, and judo, will be assessed by the same criteria. Analysis of the data will allow the team to find out, through scientific means for the first time, the exercise values of various physical activities and the activities that can be recommended to different age-groups in Hong Kong for their unique health and fitness needs. When the first and second phases are completed, an intervention programme to integrate all the important variables previously investigated will be devised in the third phase. A new sample will be drawn in Shatin from different age-groups: early childhood, early adolescence, adolescence, and adulthood. Four classes in each grade level (5 grades) and 10 groups of 30 adults will participate as subjects. Additional health and fitness and recreational activities will be planned for the groups to be used outside of the school or office hours, and standard procedures of exercise testing, exercise and life-style programmes (jogging, aerobic dancing, etc.) and evaluation will be implemented for adults. Significance of the Project The significance of this project is directly related to the health and fitness of the Hong Kong population and their quality of life. If it can be shown that improvements in health and fitness could lead to increased productivity, quality of life, and mental health, an effective health and fitness programme could serve as a functional treatment in community medicine to combat the contemporary diseases associated with sedentary and stressful lifestyles. The Hong Kong experience could well be a model for other urban areas in the world. ACADEMIC/CULTURAL EVENTS 21