Road to 5**：Lifestyle

[2019.10.28] 發表

【明報專訊】Lifestyle is the way in which a person or a group of people lives and works. It includes their modes of social relationships, modes of consumption, modes of recreation and many others. Lifestyle usually reflects one's attitude to life, values, world view and aspirations.

Lifestyle disease　

A lifestyle disease is a chronic and non-infectious disease caused by unhealthy lifestyles. Hong Kong government published "Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong", focusing on four kinds of non-infectious diseases, namely cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases and four kinds of behavioural risk factors, namely unhealthy eating, lack of physical activity, use of tobacco and use of alcohol. According to government data, the four main types of non-infectious diseases accounted for 55 percent of registered deaths in 2016.

Limitation of screen time　

In April 2019 the World Health Organization(WHO)published a set of guidelines on children's use of electronic screen devices. It suggested that infants under the age of one should stay away from electronic screens completely. Data from the WHO shows that since 1975 the obese population has tripled. Long-time deprivation of sleep causes the accumulation of excessive fat, and a link has been shown between insufficient sleeping hours and children spending time on television and computer games.

Finnish lifestyle taking China by storm

In Finland "kalsarik?nni" — the practice of staying at home alone, wearing only underwear and drinking wine in order to relax — has gained popularity recently. A comic series called Finnish Nightmares, which depicts social phenomenon in Finland, has even taken China by storm. The word "spiritual Finnish"(精芬) has thus gained currency. Johanna Karanko, the Consul General of Finland in Hong Kong, believes that the younger generation in China are faced with pressure from a tradition that puts a lot of emphasis on human relationships, so they find the Finnish approach to social interactions relatable.

Electricity generation and carbon emission　

Wong Kam-sing, the Secretary for Environment, said in May 2019 that Hong Kong people's yearly emission of carbon reached 5.7 tonnes. Lam Chiu Ying, former director of the Hong Kong Observatory, wrote in July 2018 that around seventy percent of carbon emission in Hong Kong came from electricity generation. So, the reduction in electricity consumption is a focus.

Translated by Terence Yip

[通通識第604期]