Taking it to the Street

Throughout the highly stressful and strenuous medical studies, medical students are often so pressed for time in acquiring knowledge and skills, that they sometimes lose touch with the very people whose need first sparked their commitment to medicine.

Hosted by the School of Public Health, the Health Advocacy Project (HAP) in the Problem Based Public Health module is especially designed for medical students to reach out to the community through identifying and analysing public health issues of local concern, and to develop and implement their advocacies to the target population.

This year, one of the groups advocated for stronger tobacco control and had collected over 500 signatures from the public requesting for an increase in tobacco taxation in Hong Kong and stronger local tobacco legislation. Dr Hon. Pierre Chan, Legislative Councilor; and Professor Tai-hing Lam, Chair Professor of Community Medicine and Sir Robert Kotewall Professor in Public Health, came in person to support them at the campaign.

With the aim of reducing obesity rate in Hong Kong, a group of students petitioned for mandatory nutrition labelling on non-prepackaged beverages. Over 200 signatures were collected and they were also invited to speak in a RTHK radio programme on the impact of sugar intake from non-prepackaged beverages.

Another group encouraged the general public to increase health-enhancing physical activities by introducing Zero Time Exercise to them. Passers-by were advised to abandon sedentary lifestyle by doing simple exercises regularly.

The risk of antimicrobial resistance to public health was identified by a student group and a campaign for raising public awareness on the issue was carried out. Students were also interviewed by LifeTV on the importance of proper use of antibiotics.