簡介
Listen to #Hashtag Hong Kong every Sunday morning at 8.15
Focussing on issues affecting civil society, we'll hear from representatives of NGOs, associations, statutory bodies, and non-profit groups.
(Sundays 8.15am - 8.25am)
最新
Cindy Ng, Senior manager, Program and Services of KELY Support Group
The landscape of substance use amongst young people in Hong Kong presents a significant public health challenge that demands comprehensive attention. KELY Support Group is committed to youth drug and alcohol prevention, recognising the complex factors contributing to substance misuse amongst adolescents and young adults. We need to come to a consensus that addressing this issue requires collaborative effort across our community.
Recent data from the Narcotics Division reveals a complex trend in youth substance use. While the total number of reported drug users has decreased in 2024 compared to the previous year, the number of young drug users has increased instead, by 15%. This highlights the need for targeted intervention strategies. We must also be aware that these statistics may not reflect the real situation as there are more hidden drug cases, and alarms should also be raised for them.
Of particular concern is the emergence of "space oil", a substance gaining rapid popularity amongst young people. Typically packaged as e-cigarette capsules, it contains etomidate, a medical anaesthetic that requires a doctor's prescription. This drug has become increasingly accessible through digital platforms, emerging as the third most prevalent substance amongst youth in the first half of 2024. Specifically, 75 out of 452 young drug users reported using space oil, with cannabis and cocaine remaining the top two substances.
Over KELY's three decades of prevention work amongst youth, we noticed a significant shift in young people's attitude towards substance use. The changing global landscape, with several countries legalising marijuana and adopting more open discussions about substance use, has piqued young people's interest and curiosity about different substances. This is particularly noticeable amongst those planning to travel or study overseas.
Social media has fundamentally transformed how young people access information about substances. While these platforms provide unprecedented access to knowledge, they also present significant challenges. Young people often struggle to distinguish between credible facts and misinformation, leaving them vulnerable to potential risks.
At KELY, we believe that prevention and education is crucial, especially before young people encounter illegal or harmful substances. Our approach focuses on imparting facts, especially potential risks and harm relating to substance use for youth, enabling them to make informed decisions. We work closely with schools to provide prevention education, creating safe spaces where young people can openly discuss drug issues and ask questions, with access to credible knowledge.
We recognise that drug use is often linked to mental health, with many young people turning to substances as a coping mechanism for stress, relationship challenges, and other life pressures. Therefore, our work extends beyond prevention to support the development of healthy coping strategies and robust support networks. We aim to equip young people with tools such as peer support skills to navigate the complex challenges of their teenage years effectively.
Schools, educators, parents, and the community must play a comprehensive and collaborative role in drug prevention and youth education. This approach requires a multi-dimensional strategy that goes beyond traditional information delivery. Schools should include evidence-based, age-appropriate curriculum that integrates interactive workshops and mental health support. Creating early warning systems is critical to this approach, where staff are trained to recognise signs of substance vulnerability and provide confidential counselling without judgement.
Parents need robust support to effectively engage with their children. Workshops that teach communication strategies can help parents understand adolescent psychology, and guide them in creating open, non-confrontational dialogues about substance use. Community involvement is equally crucial, requiring coordinated efforts between local health services, youth organisations, and support infrastructure that offers accessible counselling, mental health resources, and mentorship programmes.
In the digital age, prevention strategies must also adapt to technological landscapes. This means developing verified online resources, interactive educational platforms, and social media awareness campaigns that teach digital literacy and critical information evaluation. Young people need tools to understand online risks, practise responsible digital citizenship, and learn to distinguish credible information from misinformation.
The underlying principle of KELY Support Group's interventions is prevention, empathy, and peer support. Our organisation recognises that addressing youth substance use requires a fundamentally different approach from traditional punitive measures. Instead, KELY focuses on building individual resilience, promoting healthy lifestyle choices, and creating supportive environments that address the root causes driving young people towards substance experimentation. At KELY, we believe that by developing a comprehensive and unified ecosystem of support, education, and understanding, we can more effectively prevent substance misuse and empower young people to make informed, healthy decisions that positively shape their future.
重溫
Dr Matthew Cheung, Chiropractor Consultant, Children Chiropractic Foundation
Hello, Chiropractic health is essential for children’s health. It starts with detecting their vertebral subluxation from early childhood through posture analysis (including scoliosis, round back, high/low shoulder, forward head posture, and forward pelvic tilt) and detailed chiropractic examination. We strengthen the maintenance of spinal and nerve health through regular chiropractic adjustment and spinal exercise to enhance the efficacy of the nervous system which will help children live healthily and realize their potential.
The COVID-19 pandemic did significant damage to children’s spinal health, largely because they were moving much less. At the same time, schools were closed hence more reliant on electronic devices for Zoom classes and entertainment which unfortunately has led to addiction. We found 31.82% of kids spent more than 3 hours daily within the evaluated group which is 6 times more than the data in 2019 (5.49% in 2019 to 31.82% in 2022*). This combined with poor posture has led to increased occurrence of postural problems and vertebral subluxation, thus causing pain conditions, which include headache, chest pain, shoulder and ankle pain, lower back pain, and numbness.
According to our surveyed record, 66.7% of children suffering from scoliosis in having pain conditions, traceable to spinal disorders. A vertebral subluxation can put physical pressure on the spinal nerves and nervous system, causing various further disorders such as more aching, appetite loss, attention deficit, coordination issues, and respiratory problems.
Statistics for 2019 and 2023 all show general increases in various postural problems including scoliosis, round back, high/low shoulder, forward head posture, and forward pelvic tilt. In 2019, around 79% (5373/6807kids) of kids had spinal problems, it was close to 90% (5673/6313kids) in 2023. It indicates that the problems are getting more serious.
Our data showed that suspected scoliosis had the biggest rise in occurrence within the evaluated group from 23.95% (1489/6807 kids) in 2019 to 28.31% in 2021(2347/8290 kids). In addition, the number of school children with suspected scoliosis has approximately doubled, from 34.3% in 2022(4340, incomplete data) to 60.8% in 2023(3702/6087 kids).
Suspected scoliosis among kindergartners has approximately doubled between 2022 and 2023, and the proportion of 3 to 5-year-olds we surveyed with suspected scoliosis increased from 14% to 55.5 , more than three times. This increasing prevalence of spinal problems in young children is very concerning.
Particularly we want to draw your attention to underprivileged children. We have provided detailed chiropractic examinations in 2021 for 13 children living in subdivided units who did not receive chiropractic exams and adjustments before and during the epidemic respectively. The examination found that their round-back problems all showed a worsening trend, and the proportion of people with round-back problems also increased sharply from 50% to 76.9%.% Cramped living conditions of low-income families living in subdivided flats provide limited space to stretch out and exercise, leading to the spinal problems we often deal with. Compared with the general school children, the proportion of children in subdivided units with round-back problems is 9.9% more.
We are keen on raising the awareness of spinal health through a series of projects, including the “Straighten Up School Scheme” supported by The Community Chest, serving 436 schools that provide outreach spinal education services so as help kids to build up healthy spine lifestyles.
Our regular Students Chiropractic Care Program provides those under 18 with free posture checkups that fill in for the government’s services gap causing the government first-time scoliosis screening for students at Primary 5 or 10 years old and only continue regular screening every two years.
Children Complimentary Chiropractic Adjustment Program is geared towards the underprivileged and provides chiropractic detailed exam and adjustment specifically for students living in subdivided flats, from families covered by the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme.
Apart from our work, we think the government should have done more. Now the public service is not enough to address the actual needs, we recommend the service provide scoliosis screening earlier at 8 years old, continue regular testing once a year instead of two years, shorten waiting time between X-ray examinations and follow-up appointments and also need to reinforce the public education on children spine health to increase the parents’ awareness on spinal nerves.
We suggest the public should pay attention to:
1 Maintain kids' spinal health by taking them to receive regular checkups every six months and chiropractic adjustments if necessary.
2 Perform stretching and strengthening exercises and straighten-up exercises daily.
3 Build up a “Dynamic posture” lifestyle by changing posture or doing 1-2 minutes of exercise every 30-40 minutes daily.
4 Parents should pay more attention to observing kids' postural and health conditions, not to easily mistake potential scoliosis for just bad posture habits, leaving problems untreated.
This morning we would like to dedicate “企好” by “GIN LEE ” to all of you listening.
Enjoy and thank you.
