About 94 percent of Hong Kong students do not get sufficient daily exercise, and 17.5 percent are overweight, according to a Department of Health report released on Tuesday.
The Student Health Service (SHS) Annual Health Report summarized key findings from annual health assessments and questionnaires completed by primary and secondary school students over the past academic year.
It showed that 93.6 percent of students—91.5 percent in primary and 95.8 percent in secondary schools—failed to engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise daily.
In the 2024/25 school year, 17.5 percent of students were classified as overweight (including obesity), with rates of 17.2 percent among primary school students and 17.9 percent among secondary school students.
"Being overweight during childhood and adolescence adversely affects health and is associated with a greater risk and earlier onset of various non-communicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers,” said Chuang Shuk-kwan, consultant for community medicine (family and student health) for DH.
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Regarding diet, data showed that 89.4 percent of students reported an inadequate daily intake of fruits and vegetables, with 96.8 percent of secondary school students getting less than five servings per day.
The visual health of students in Hong Kong also remained a concern. The proportion of Primary One students wearing glasses was 14.5 percent, significantly higher than the pre-COVID level of approximately 11 percent. Also, over half (55.1 percent) of Primary Six students were reported to wear glasses.
In terms of psychosocial well-being, the report revealed that 1.6 percent and 0.7 percent of students reported having planned or attempted suicide in the past 12 months, respectively. Both figures represent decreases from the previous school year, when they stood at 2.2 percent and 1.0 percent, respectively.
The DH urged students to maintain a balanced diet, engage in more physical activity, reduce screen time, protect their eyesight and pay attention to their psychosocial well-being.
