Today (March 4) is World Obesity Day and the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health (DH), Dr Edwin Tsui, reminded the public that obesity increases the risk of many chronic diseases and urged them to pay attention to the problem of obesity and develop a healthy lifestyle to achieve and maintain an appropriate body weight.

     The World Obesity Federation has designated March 4 each year as World Obesity Day to promote and support the maintenance of a healthy body weight and to address the global obesity crisis. The theme of this year's World Obesity Day is "Changing Systems, Healthier Lives", which calls on the public to focus on the factors that contribute to the increasing rates of obesity around the world and strive to improve food systems, the environment and health systems, etc.

     In Hong Kong, a body mass index (BMI) of adults from 23 to less than 25 is regarded as overweight, while a BMI of 25 or more is considered obese. According to the Population Health Survey conducted by the DH, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among people aged between 15 and 84 in Hong Kong increased from 50 per cent in 2014/15 to 54.6 per cent in 2020-22.

     As for students who attended the DH's Student Health Service Centres for an annual health assessment, the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) among primary students decreased from 19.5 per cent in 2022/23 school year to 16.4 per cent in 2023/24 school year, which was a record low since 2014/15 school year. However, the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) among secondary students remained high at 20 per cent.

     "Extensive research over the world has shown that increasing obesity is associated with increasing mortality. Obesity is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases, including hypertension, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer, musculoskeletal disorders and sleep apnoea. To achieve and maintain a healthy weight, members of the public are encouraged to practice healthy living from an early age, including maintaining a balanced diet, being physically active and reducing the amount of time spent being sedentary," Dr Tsui said.

     The DH has been working with other government departments and community partners to promote healthy lifestyles, including the EatSmart Restaurant Star+ campaign, the StartSmart@school.hk, EatSmart@school.hk campaigns, and the "10 000 Steps a Day" campaign. "The Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address" also announced the establishment of a Life-course Health Promotion Strategy and strengthening of the DH's Whole School Health Programme.

     In addition, to shift the emphasis of the healthcare system and mindset from treatment-oriented to prevention-oriented, the Government is reforming healthcare services with the establishment of District Health Centres (DHCs) that provide health promotions, health-risk factor assessments, disease screenings and chronic disease management. The DHCs also conduct various kinds of health promotion activities, including offering guidance on healthy eating patterns, weight management and the provision of exercise classes.

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals: 

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (March 4) that due to urgent clearance works, Morrison Hill Swimming Pool in Wan Chai District has been temporarily closed and will be reopened at 3.45pm.

     Hong Kong Customs' innovative training module "Cave Automatic Virtual Environment" (CAVE) received a silver award in Brandon Hall Group Technology Excellence Awards under the category "Best Advance in Augmented and Virtual Reality" at the end of last year. The accolade highlights the international recognition of the department's commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance the efficiency of staff training.
      
     CAVE, launched in 2023, employs advanced virtual reality technology to create interactive training modules that simulate various customs clearance scenarios, providing customs trainees with an immersive training experience. This innovative training method allows trainees to learn basic customs clearance skills under a controlled environment and enables instructors to adjust the training modules according to the training progress and smuggling trends, thereby strengthening the trainees' adaptability. CAVE has now been fully introduced to all induction and in-service training provided by Hong Kong Customs College, and a total of more than 600 officers have received the training.
      
     The Assistant Commissioner (Administration and Human Resource Development) of Customs, Ms Tam So-ying, today (March 4) said, "This award ascertains the fact that Customs' application of virtual reality technology in competency training has reached international standards. We will continue to explore feasibility of extending the scope of applications of CAVE."
      
     Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards is a global award scheme that attracts institutions from around the world each year to compete for awards in different professional fields. Hong Kong Customs was the only institution in Asia to receive the "Best Advance in Augmented and Virtual Reality" award in 2024. This honour underscores the department's dedication and achievements in promoting "Smart Customs", serving as the Asia-Pacific training centre of the World Customs Organization and enhancing its enforcement capabilities to safeguard the country and Hong Kong.

          

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     The Marine Department today (March 4) reminded masters, coxswains and persons-in-charge of vessels navigating in Hong Kong waters to proceed at a safe
     speed and exercise extreme caution because restricted visibility of less than 2 nautical miles has been reported.

     Appropriate sound signals shall be made when underway or at anchor. All vessels must comply with the International Regulations for Preventing Collision at Sea.

     Also, when radar is used without the benefit of adequate plotting facilities, the information obtained from the equipment is rather limited and should be construed
     accordingly.

     Visibility reports are broadcast by the Vessel Traffic Centre (VTC) on VHF channels 02, 12, 14, 63 and 67.

     In the event of an accident, a report shall be made immediately to the VTC at Tel: 2233 7801.

     â€‹Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) provided an update today (March 3) on the information security incident identified on February 22 which involved a malicious ransomware attack to part of InvestHK's computer systems. According to InvestHK's investigation findings, there was no evidence indicating leakage of personal information. No further suspicious activities have been identified. InvestHK is very grateful for the support and assistance rendered by the Police and the Digital Policy Office (DPO) during the incident. The department's computer systems have largely resumed normal operations today.

     The spokesman for InvestHK said that as the global cybersecurity landscape was evolving, the department would continue to enhance its cyber resilience level and cybersecurity risk management. It will also follow the suggestions from the DPO and experts in tightening its IT security systems to prevent similar incidents from happening again .

     The spokesman reminded members of the public to stay alert and to refrain from clicking on any embedded links or providing any personal or financial information such as credit card information, or making any payment to suspicious emails or SMS messages.

     The department condemns such malicious attacks again and hopes that the culprits can be brought to justice as soon as possible so as to safeguard information and cybersecurity.