Half of Hongkongers get too little exercise

Hong Kong's busy pace of life means half of its residents don't get enough exercise, Ming Pao Daily reported Friday, citing a survey.

In the poll, done by the University of Hong Kong’s Public Opinion Program for HKU’s School of Public Health, 1,502 adults were interviewed between October and December 2013.

The amount of exercise done by 49.5 percent of the respondents failed to meet the standard of the World Health Organization, which requires at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity sports or less than 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week.

Of all respondents, 29.4 percent do no exercise every day. Among those over 65 years old, 40 percent do no exercise.

But 25.1 percent of those aged between 25 and 44 also do no exercise, the poll found.

It found a relationship between the amount of exercise and quality of life.

The happiness index for those who exercise for more than an hour each day is 7.4 percent higher than for those who don’t, and their family harmony index is 4.7 percent higher.

Lam Tai-hing, a professor at HKU’s School of Public Health, was quoted as saying that while some Hongkongers take part in sports for five or six hours on weekends, that cannot offset the harm brought by their daily sedentary lifestyle.

However, not doing any sports could lead in the long run to obesity, which may cause heart disease, he said.

He suggested that people move around every half an hour and do some simple exercises, such as stretching their legs and arms, even at work.

-- Contact us at [email protected]

KZ/AC/FL