Child maltreatment hospitalisations in Hong Kong: incidence rate and seasonal pattern

Ip, Patrick,Ho, Frederick Ka-wing,Chan, Ko Ling,Yip, Paul Siu-fai,Lau, Joseph Tak-fai,Wong, Wilfred Hing-sang,Chow, Chun-bong,Jiang, Fan BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2016 Archives of disease in childhood Vol.101 No.12

<P><B>Objective</B></P><P>We investigated the incidence and seasonal patterns of child maltreatment hospitalisations in Hong Kong.</P><P><B>Design</B></P><P>A retrospective study of subjects aged under 19 years with a primary diagnosis of child maltreatment admitted to hospitals in Hong Kong from 2001 to 2010. Data were retrieved from the centralised database of all 42 public hospitals in the Hospital Authority.</P><P><B>Main outcome measures</B></P><P>Child maltreatment incidence rate.</P><P><B>Results</B></P><P>A consistent seasonal pattern was found for non-sexual maltreatment in children aged 6–18 years (p<0.001). Hospitalisations peaked in May and October but dipped in August and January. No significant seasonal patterns were found for sexual maltreatment or among children under 6 years. The seasonal pattern of child maltreatment coincided with the two school examination periods. The annual child maltreatment hospitalisation rate in Hong Kong in 2010 was 73.4 per 100 000 children under 19 years, more than double that in 2001.</P><P><B>Conclusions</B></P><P>A peculiar seasonal pattern and an alarming increasing trend in child maltreatment hospitalisation were observed in Hong Kong, which we speculated to be related to school examination stress and increasing socioeconomic disparity. Our findings highlighted differences in the trends of child maltreatment between Hong Kong and the West. Professionals and policymakers should be made aware of these trends and develop effective strategies to tackle child maltreatment.</P>

Mental Health Consequences of Childhood Physical Abuse in Chinese Populations : A Meta-Analysis

Ip, Patrick,Wong, Rosa S.,Li, Sophia L.,Chan, Ko Ling,Ho, Frederick K.,Chow, Chun-bong SAGE Publications 2016 Trauma, violence & abuse Vol.17 No.5

Children With Disability Are More at Risk of Violence Victimization : Evidence From a Study of School-Aged Chinese Children

Chan, Ko Ling,Emery, Clifton R.,Ip, Patrick SAGE Publications 2016 Journal of interpersonal violence Vol.31 No.6

<P>Although research tends to focus on whether children with disability are more at risk of violence victimization, conclusive evidence on the association, especially in non-Western settings, is lacking. Using a large and representative sample of school-aged children in Hong Kong (<I>N</I> = 5,841, aged 9-18 years), this study aims to fill the research gap by providing reliable estimates of the prevalence of disability and the direct and indirect experiences of violence among children with disability. The study also compares the prevalence of child maltreatment, parental intimate partner violence (IPV), and in-law conflict to explore the factors related to the association between disability and violence victimization. The prevalence of disability among children was about 6%. Children with disability were more likely to report victimization than those without disability: 32% to 60% of the former had experienced child maltreatment, and 12% to 46% of them had witnessed IPV between parents or in-law conflict. The results of a logistic regression showed that disability increased the risk of lifetime physical maltreatment by 1.6 times. Furthermore, low levels of parental education and paternal unemployment were risk factors for lifetime child maltreatment. The risk of child maltreatment could have an almost sixfold increase when the child had also witnessed other types of family violence. Possible explanations and implications of the findings are discussed.</P>

Can family structure and social support reduce the impact of child victimization on health-related quality of life?

Chan, Ko Ling,Chen, Mengtong,Chen, Qiqi,Ip, Patrick Elsevier 2017 Child abuse & neglect Vol.72 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>This study aims at providing a profile of the association between different types of child victimization and polyvictimization and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among school-aged children, and examining the impact of family structure and social support on the negative health consequences associated with violent victimization. We conducted a cross-sectional school survey in Hong Kong using a two-stage stratified sampling procedure. The final sample comprised 4139 children’s self-reports and proxy-reports (boys=51.5%; mean age=6.3). The main outcome was HRQoL measured with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Family structure was represented by parents’ marital status, major caregivers, number of siblings and the living arrangement of children. Child victimization, social support, and demographic characteristics were also measured. All types of child victimization were associated with compromised HRQoL, and the strength of association varied across different types of child victimization. Family structure (in particular the number of siblings and whether additional childcare was received from grandparents) and social support were associated with better HRQoL. The negative associations between child victimization and polyvictimization and HRQoL were reduced when there was an adjustment made for family structure and social support. Findings show that family structure and social support are related to a reduction in negative health consequences for child victimization. The varying strengths of negative associations between victimization and HRQoL highlight the possibility that the effects of child victimization on health might not be homogeneous.</P>

The Hong Kong Early Child Development Scale-3: A Validation Study

Nirmala Rao,Stephanie W. Y. Chan,Rhoda Wang,Diana Lee,Rita Y. T. Ng,Yvonne Becher,Carrie Lau,Jin Sun,Frederick K Ho,Patrick Ip The Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Ass 2022 Asia-Pacific journal of research in early childhoo Vol.16 No.2

The Hong Kong Early Child Development Scale (HKECDS) is a tool for assessing holistic early child development in preschoolers aged from three to six years. The original version of the scale, HKECDS, was updated in 2019 (HKECDS-2) to reflect the contemporary context and local curricular expectations. Children (n = 144) from three kindergartens in Hong Kong completed the HKECDS-2 in individual sessions. Rasch model analysis and expert discussions resulted in a short version of the scale (HKECDS-3) with 50 items in nine domains. The domains are Personal and self-care (4 items), Language development (7 items), Pre-academic learning (10 items), Cognitive development (6 items), Gross motor (4 items), Fine motor (2 items), Health and safety (5 items), Moral development (6 items), and Society and environment (6 items). There were significant correlations between findings from the updated version of the tool, HKECDS-3 and the HKECDS-2 (long form), and older children had significantly higher scores than younger children.

Zika Virus on YouTube: An Analysis of English-language Video Content by Source

Corey H. Basch,Isaac Chun-Hai Fung,Rodney N. Hammond,Elizabeth B. Blankenship,Zion Tsz Ho Tse,King-Wa Fu,Patrick Ip,Charles E. Basch 대한예방의학회 2017 Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health Vol.50 No.2

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe the source, length, number of views, and content of the most widely viewed Zika virus (ZIKV)-related YouTube videos. We hypothesized that ZIKV-related videos uploaded by different sources contained different content. Methods: The 100 most viewed English ZIKV-related videos were manually coded and analyzed statistically. Results: Among the 100 videos, there were 43 consumer-generated videos, 38 Internet-based news videos, 15 TV-based news videos, and 4 professional videos. Internet news sources captured over two-thirds of the total of 8 894 505 views. Compared with consumer-generated videos, Internet-based news videos were more likely to mention the impact of ZIKV on babies (odds ratio [OR], 6.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.64 to 23.76), the number of cases in Latin America (OR, 5.63; 95% CI, 1.47 to 21.52); and ZIKV in Africa (OR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.04 to 6.31). Compared with consumer-generated videos, TV-based news videos were more likely to express anxiety or fear of catching ZIKV (OR, 6.67; 95% CI, 1.36 to 32.70); to highlight fear of ZIKV among members of the public (OR, 7.45; 95% CI, 1.20 to 46.16); and to discuss avoiding pregnancy (OR, 3.88; 95% CI, 1.13 to 13.25). Conclusions: Public health agencies should establish a larger presence on YouTube to reach more people with evidence-based information about ZIKV.

Zika Virus on YouTube: An Analysis of English-language Video Content by Source

Basch, Corey H.,Fung, Isaac Chun-Hai,Hammond, Rodney N.,Blankenship, Elizabeth B.,Tse, Zion Tsz Ho,Fu, King-Wa,Ip, Patrick,Basch, Charles E. The Korean Society for Preventive Medicine 2017 Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health Vol.50 No.2

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe the source, length, number of views, and content of the most widely viewed Zika virus (ZIKV)-related YouTube videos. We hypothesized that ZIKV-related videos uploaded by different sources contained different content. Methods: The 100 most viewed English ZIKV-related videos were manually coded and analyzed statistically. Results: Among the 100 videos, there were 43 consumer-generated videos, 38 Internet-based news videos, 15 TV-based news videos, and 4 professional videos. Internet news sources captured over two-thirds of the total of 8 894 505 views. Compared with consumer-generated videos, Internet-based news videos were more likely to mention the impact of ZIKV on babies (odds ratio [OR], 6.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.64 to 23.76), the number of cases in Latin America (OR, 5.63; 95% CI, 1.47 to 21.52); and ZIKV in Africa (OR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.04 to 6.31). Compared with consumer-generated videos, TV-based news videos were more likely to express anxiety or fear of catching ZIKV (OR, 6.67; 95% CI, 1.36 to 32.70); to highlight fear of ZIKV among members of the public (OR, 7.45; 95% CI, 1.20 to 46.16); and to discuss avoiding pregnancy (OR, 3.88; 95% CI, 1.13 to 13.25). Conclusions: Public health agencies should establish a larger presence on YouTube to reach more people with evidence-based information about ZIKV.

Risk factors for child physical abuse and neglect among Chinese young mothers

Lo, Camilla K.M.,Tung, Keith T.S.,Chan, Ko Ling,Yip, Paul S.F.,Lau, Joseph T.F.,Wong, Wilfred H.S.,Wong, Rosa S.,Tsang, Anita M.C.,Tsang, Hannah Y.H.,Tso, Winnie W.Y.,Ip, Patrick Elsevier 2017 Child abuse & neglect Vol.67 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Although studies have reported a linkage between young pregnancy and child maltreatment risk, it is still unclear about what factors place young mothers at greater risk of maltreating their child in Chinese context. Based on the socio-ecological model, risk factors in 4 domains: family background/structure, maternal stressors, mother-child interaction, and child behavioral issue in relation to physical assault, neglect, both physical assault and neglect, and either physical assault or neglect among Chinese young mothers in Hong Kong were assessed. 392 young mothers were recruited from an integrated supportive program for young mothers. The mean age of mothers at delivery was 21.8 (SD=3.0) and 52.3% were married. Individual risk factors and cumulative risk domains related to different child maltreatment groups were examined. Our results show both overlapping and unique risk factors across the domains associated with physical assault and neglect. Further, young families exposed to higher number of risk domains show higher rates for physical assault and neglect, co-occurrence of physical assault and neglect, and either form of maltreatment. In addition, various risk domains were found to be particularly important for different forms of maltreatment: family background/structure domain was found to be an important risk domain for neglect; mother-child interaction domain for both physical assault and neglect; family background/structure and maternal stressors domains for either physical assault or neglect. Closer examination of a subgroup of adolescent mothers aged 18 and below shows that family background/structure was an important risk domain for this group.</P>