Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes special report study entitled: Elderly and their surroundings. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC, 2002. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 235-246).

Thesis (M. Med. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-115).

Thesis (M. Nurs.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 88-95).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 121 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 113-121).

Problem: Consumer characteristics have proved to be important influencers in how advertisements are perceived among consumers. Researchers have started to investigate if this assumption is valuable also in special and uncommon marketing strategies. A new field of research regarding advertising is the study of taboo themes. Researchers have so far mainly investigated how consumer respond to advertisements containing themes of taboo, but less research examines the influence of consumer characteristics. The questions is to which degree, characteristics like age and gender affect the response consumers have towards taboo advertising. This question is of importance, as it will impact the strategy marketers can use when deciding which consumers to target. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how age and gender of Swedish consumers influence how they respond to sexual appeal and violence within advertising. To add further depth to the study, three research questions have been constructed. Method: In order to draw a conclusion that gives answers to our purpose, a quantitative research approach has been employed. The data was collected through a questionnaire among Swedish consumers, with 190 respondents. This primary data collection was performed over an online survey tool and the result was later investigated in SPSS. The questionnaire included advertisements that contain themes of sexual appeal and violence, in a way to measure consumers response. Conclusion: The conclusion succeeds to answer the purpose of the study as well as the three research questions. The main findings are that the characteristics age and gender have an influence on the response most of the times. However, this influence seems not to be the only factor, but instead other characteristics and aspects seem also to contribute to the response of consumers. Two cases which both affect the outcome is if a product is of highor low-involvement or if the taboo used is congruent with the product. The influence is different depending on investigating age or gender.

published_or_final_version / Gerontology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

OBJECTIVE To determine whether grading for AMD during a diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening program would be cost-effective in Hong Kong. METHODS A cost-effectiveness analysis based on a Markov model with six mutually exclusive health states was undertaken. It included grading for AMD and treatment with vitamin therapy for those with intermediate AMD. The outcome of the model was cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. A public provider perspective was used. The measures of effectiveness were mostly taken from a local DR screening project except the transition probabilities and the utility values which were taken from overseas data. Costs were mainly taken from the Hospital Authority and salary scale 2009. The main assumptions and estimates were tested in sensitivity analyses. In this model, only subjects with non-sight threatening diabetic retinopathy were included and the possibility of disease regression and treatment benefit for those with advanced AMD were not considered. Both costs and benefits were discounted at 3%. RESULTS The cost per QALY gained through grading for AMD at the time of DR screening and treatment with vitamins of appropriate cases was HK$47,397 after discounting. This would be considered highly cost-effective based on the World Health Organization’s threshold of willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a QALY, e.g. less than the annual per capita GDP HK$300,000. One way sensitivity analyses revealed that the cost per QALY was most sensitive to utility value, discount rate, progression rate from intermediate to advanced AMD, and compliance rate for the treatment. The cost-effectiveness acceptability curve showed that at a WTP for a QALY of $100,000 or more, this AMD screening programme has over 90% of probability of being cost-effective compared with no screening. CONCLUSION Our cost-effectiveness analysis demonstrated that grading for AMD at the time of DR screening among diabetic patients would probably be cost-effective in a Hong Kong public hospital setting. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

Background: Depression is the leading cause of premature death and disability worldwide. The globally aging population with increasing burdens of chronic diseases is certain to face increasing problems. Elderly people in whom physical and mental co-morbidities are common represent a group that is highly susceptible to the harm of depression. Worse still, the reduced accessibility of elderly to healthcare implies that the public health burden of depression seen in the healthcare sector is only tip of the clinical iceberg. Objectives: This review aims to synthesize the current evidence of public health burden of geriatric depression, and the public health challenges in tackling this growing threat in the context of under-detection, social disparities and population ageing, and to summarize its current situation in Hong Kong and compare with other Methods: A literature search was conducted in databases PubMed, Medline and Cochrane (January 2002-June 2012) using the keywords “depression, depressive episode, epidemiology, prevalence, incidence, elderly”. A total of 1285full-text articles were obtained, out of which 52 articles were potentially relevant. Critical appraisal was performed on articles after a priori specified inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. After removing the duplicates and examining the contents, 15 articles were adopted for review. Results: Depression brings along heavy disease burden which highly associated with mortality and morbidity. Late-life depression accounts for 17-37% in primary care settings, while around 3% in the community. The ongoing problems of under-detection, under-treatment and the progressive population ageing increase the challenges and complexity of matter. Gender difference is identified, while social support, social relationships and socioeconomic status were shown to be highly correlated with elderly depression in both the East and the West. Conclusions: Elderly depression is a global threat causing increasing public health burden to healthcare systems and societies worldwide. Over the decades, public health sector is facing numerous challenges intackling it, including the practice-related challenges complicated by characteristics of elderly, policy-related challenges explained by the clinical iceberg concept, and societal related challenges. By understanding the older population and challenges in the community control of depression, it is the time to action and turn public health over a new leaf. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

Introduction Geriatric depression is one of the major public health issues around the world. Geriatric depression is often being misinterpreted as a normal aspect of aging process, but it is indeed a complex psychological problem that would result in significant increases in DALYs. With effective treatments, depressive symptoms and signs can be reduced. Nevertheless, pharmacological intervention is often used as the first-line treatment for geriatric depression. In recent years, different types of non-pharmacological intervention have been getting more attention in terms of theirs effectiveness in treating geriatric depression. Objectives Primary objective is to determine whether two categories of non-pharmacological intervention (physical activity and reminiscence therapy) are effective in relieving depression in elderly that are 60 years old or older. The other objectives are to examine enduring effects of physical activity and reminiscence therapy, and compare the effectiveness of reminiscence therapy and physical activity in alleviating depressive symptoms in elderly compared with no intervention and/or other intervention. Methods Relevant studies published between the year of 2000 and 2013 were searched and identified through several electronic databases, including the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Medline, PsycINFO and Google Scholar, with a combination of keywords. All randomized controlled trials that examine physical activity and reminiscence therapy on elderly that are 60 years old or older, being diagnosed or indicated as suffering from depression were included. The methodological quality of each study was assessed. The outcome measure of this review is the depression symptom level. Main Result A total of 12 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria, in which seven were about physical activity and five of them were about reminiscence therapy. Significant immediate reduction in depressive symptoms was found in five out of seven physical activity studies and in four out of five reminiscence studies. Three and two studies respectively on physical activity and reminiscence therapy had assessed the effect at follow-up and looked at the lasting effect. In two physical activity studies that have assessed the short-term effect beyond the completion of intervention, incongruent findings were found. Only one physical activity study has examined the long-term effect and it reported significant positive result. On the other hand, there were two reminiscence therapy studies assessing the short-term effect on depressive symptoms. These two studies reported significant improvement in depressive symptoms. Since there were few studies reporting the medium and long-term effect of physical activity and reminiscence therapy, no conclusion can be made on their enduring effect of reducing depressive symptoms. Conclusions Physical activity and reminiscence therapy appear to be effective non-pharmacological interventions for relieving depressive symptoms in elderly. They may complement pharmacological intervention and/or may offer alternative treatment option for elderly with depression. However, the mode, intensity, duration, type, format of physical activity and reminiscence therapy on depressive symptoms in elderly remain unclear. Further testing is need before these interventions can be routinely used to alleviate depressive symptoms in elderly with depression. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health