Public Health

 It is a curious fact that Hong Kong is one of the world’s most crowded cities, but is also one of the healthiest and has the longest life expectancy. What is it about physical form of community in HK that creates this?  Does living so closely together make us healthy?

Much of the damage we suffer from intense urban living, such as the pollution, the constant noise, and the easy communication of diseases is unseen.

It is no surprise that flu-like infectious diseases are increasingly common and virulent, that behavioral disorders e.g. child obesity or neurotic activity (phones and lift buttons) are constantly rising.  We may have the best public health system in the world, but we may very well need it in the decades to come.

Our approach to public and environmental health has largely been responsive to specific issues.  We need to switch the community’s focus onto prevention rather than relying on cure.