Multilingualism in Hong Kong City Edge: A Mixed Method Study on Linguistic Landscape in Stanley

BACKGROUND The mental health of international students studying abroad has been neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE This mixed-method study examined perceived public attitudes, personal beliefs, practice and stress toward facemask wearing as a preventive measure against COVID-19 among international university students from Hong Kong studying in the United Kingdom (UK) in the early stage (January – March 2020) of the pandemic. METHODS Our study included 2 parts: (i) an exponential, non-discriminative snowball sampling strategy was used to recruit 91 Chinese students studying in the UK to complete an online questionnaire survey, and (ii) online Zoom focus group interviews were conducted with 16 students to gain an in-depth understanding on their experiences and coping methods during the pandemic. RESULTS Of the 91 students, 92.3% reported the UK public did not view facemask wearing as a preventive measure. 98.9% believed facemask wearing was an effective preventive measure, but 56% wore facemasks more than half of the time when out in public. 50.5% of them had internal conflicts of feeling stressed both when wearing facemasks and not wearing facemasks, which was more common in females than males [(62.5% versus 31.5%, P=0.004, Relative Risk (RR): 1.99 (1.17, 3.38)]. 61.5% reported public prejudiced attitudes against facemask wearing, also more females than males (71.4% versus 45.7%, P=0.02, RR: 1.56 (1.05, 2.32). Qualitative findings showed feeling of conflicts between personal beliefs and social norms, feeling stressed about wearing facemasks as a preventive measure, and experience of prejudice. Peer and family support helped students face such difficulties. Positive thinking and being adaptable were effective methods of stress management. Qualitative findings corroborated the quantitative results. CONCLUSIONS Prejudiced attitudes and behaviours from others, and differences in public attitudes toward facemask wearing resulted in much stress in students’ stress. Clear and accurate public health messaging regarding facemask wearing is needed to change public attitudes and mitigate prejudice. Owing to the ongoing pandemic and rising xenophobia, specifically Sinophobia, academic institutions and public health professionals should take initiative in reaching out to urgently address the needs of international students and provide support in managing their ongoing stress and enhance mental wellbeing. CLINICALTRIAL Ethics approval was granted by the Institutional Review Board of The University of Hong Kong / Hospital Authority Hong Kong West Cluster (reference number: UW20-298). The study was registered with the National Institutes of Health (identifier number: NCT04365361).

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Exploring self-identities, bodies, and psychological well-being of Hong Kong Chinese lesbians : a mixed-method study

10.5353/th_b5801694 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Po-yee Lo

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Well Being ◽

Hong Kong Chinese ◽

Mixed Method Study ◽

Psychological Well Being

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Facemask Wearing Among Chinese International Students From Hong Kong Studying in United Kingdom Universities During COVID-19: A Mixed Method Study

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.673531 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Agnes Yuen-kwan Lai ◽

Shirley Man-man Sit ◽

Theresa Tze-kwan Lai ◽

Man-ping Wang ◽

Cecilia Hoi-mei Kong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Hong Kong ◽

United Kingdom ◽

International Students ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Public Attitudes ◽

Preventive Measure ◽

Chinese International Students ◽

Mixed Method Study ◽

The Uk

Background: The mental health of international students studying abroad has been neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic.Objective: This mixed-method study examined perceived public attitudes, personal beliefs, practice and stress toward facemask wearing as a preventive measure against COVID-19 among international University students from Hong Kong studying in the United Kingdom (UK) in the early stage (January–March 2020) of the pandemic.Methods: Our study included 2 parts: (i) an exponential, non-discriminative snowball sampling strategy was used to recruit 91 Chinese students studying in the UK to complete an online questionnaire survey, and (ii) online Zoom focus group interviews were conducted with 16 students who completed the online survey to gain an in-depth understanding of their experiences and coping methods during the pandemic.Results: Of the 91 students, 92.3% reported the UK public did not view facemask wearing as a preventive measure. 98.9% believed facemask wearing was an effective preventive measure, but 56% wore facemasks more than half of the time when out in public. 50.5% had internal conflicts of stress both when wearing and not wearing facemasks, which was more common in females than males [(62.5 vs. 31.5%), P = 0.004, Relative Risk (RR): 1.99 (1.17, 3.38)]. 61.5% reported public prejudiced attitudes against facemask wearing, also more common in females than males (71.4 vs. 45.7%), P = 0.02, RR: 1.56 (1.05, 2.32). The qualitative findings corroborated with the quantitative findings and reported that peer and family support were important for them to face such difficulties, and positive thinking and adaptability were effective methods on stress management.Conclusions: Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Chinese international students have been faced with a difficult, confusing, and sensitive situation. Owing to the ongoing pandemic, rising xenophobia and racist behaviors and the resumption of students' studies studies in the U.K., support from global communities are needed in their pursuit of quality education overseas. Our findings have significant implications on the proactive roles that governments should have, and the need for clear and accurate public health messaging to change public attitudes and mitigate prejudice. Academic institutions and mental health professionals need to proactively provide additional support to Chinese international students.

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Pharmacists’ Perceptions of the Benefits and Challenges of Electronic Product Information System Implementation in Hong Kong: Mixed-Method Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.20765 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Eunice Wing To Fung ◽

Gordon Tsz Fung Au-Yeung ◽

Lo Mei Tsoi ◽

Lili Qu ◽

Tommy Kwan Wa Cheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Product Information ◽

Drug Information ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Mixed Method Study ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Specific Situation ◽

Electronic Product

BACKGROUND With the advancement of technology, more countries are now adopting the use of electronic product information (ePI), which refer to an electronic version of physical product inserts in a semistructured format optimized for electronic manipulation. The successful implementation of ePI has led to advantages and convenience to patients, health care professionals, and pharmaceutical companies in many regions and countries. In the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), there is currently no citywide implementation of ePI. The SAR exhibits conditions that would favor the implementation of an ePI system, as well as existing barriers hindering its implementation. However, no study has been performed to examine the specific situation in Hong Kong. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to explore working pharmacists’ overall perception of ePI and to identify potential challenges to the implementation of an ePI system in Hong Kong. METHODS This mixed-method study involved a structured survey and interview with practicing pharmacists in Hong Kong. Pharmacists were eligible if they were licensed to practice in Hong Kong, and currently working locally in any pharmacy-related sectors and institutions. Respondents completed a survey to indicate their level of agreement with statements regarding the potential advantages of ePI over paper PI. A structured interview was conducted to gather respondents’ perceived advantages of ePI over paper PI in different aspects, such as professionalism, usability, presentation, and environment, as well as challenges of citywide ePI implementation in Hong Kong. Thematic analysis was adopted to analyze the qualitative data. Grounded theory was used to generate themes and identify specific outcomes. RESULTS A total of 16 pharmacists were recruited, comprising 4 community pharmacists, 5 hospital pharmacists, and 7 industrial pharmacists. All of them used electronic platforms at least once per month on average. Respondents identified many flaws in physical package inserts that can potentially be mitigated using ePI. The speed with which drug information can be retrieved and the degree to which the drug information can be readily updated and disseminated were considered the greatest strengths of ePI. The clarity with which ePI present drug information to patients was considered as the weakest aspect of ePI. Many respondents highlighted concerns about the security risks and high cost associated with system maintenance and that certain subpopulations may not be sufficiently computer literate to navigate the ePI system. Respondents also voiced many concerns about the implementation and maintenance of a local ePI system. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that an ePI system is generally supported by pharmacists but concerns about implementation process and maintenance of the system has been raised. The perceived benefits of ePI gathered from this study, as well as collective evidence from other countries with mature ePI systems, confirm that more efforts should be made to promote optimized development and implementation of an ePI system in Hong Kong.

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The influence of IB learning experience on students' thinking styles : a mixed-method study in a Hong Kong school

10.5353/th_b5704030 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Tao Li

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Thinking Styles ◽

Mixed Method Study

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Pharmacists’ Perceptions of the Benefits and Challenges of Electronic Product Information System Implementation in Hong Kong: Mixed-Method Study

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/20765 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (11) ◽

pp. e20765

Author(s):

Eunice Wing To Fung ◽

Gordon Tsz Fung Au-Yeung ◽

Lo Mei Tsoi ◽

Lili Qu ◽

Tommy Kwan Wa Cheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Product Information ◽

Drug Information ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Mixed Method Study ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Specific Situation ◽

Electronic Product

Background With the advancement of technology, more countries are now adopting the use of electronic product information (ePI), which refer to an electronic version of physical product inserts in a semistructured format optimized for electronic manipulation. The successful implementation of ePI has led to advantages and convenience to patients, health care professionals, and pharmaceutical companies in many regions and countries. In the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), there is currently no citywide implementation of ePI. The SAR exhibits conditions that would favor the implementation of an ePI system, as well as existing barriers hindering its implementation. However, no study has been performed to examine the specific situation in Hong Kong. Objective The objective of this study is to explore working pharmacists’ overall perception of ePI and to identify potential challenges to the implementation of an ePI system in Hong Kong. Methods This mixed-method study involved a structured survey and interview with practicing pharmacists in Hong Kong. Pharmacists were eligible if they were licensed to practice in Hong Kong, and currently working locally in any pharmacy-related sectors and institutions. Respondents completed a survey to indicate their level of agreement with statements regarding the potential advantages of ePI over paper PI. A structured interview was conducted to gather respondents’ perceived advantages of ePI over paper PI in different aspects, such as professionalism, usability, presentation, and environment, as well as challenges of citywide ePI implementation in Hong Kong. Thematic analysis was adopted to analyze the qualitative data. Grounded theory was used to generate themes and identify specific outcomes. Results A total of 16 pharmacists were recruited, comprising 4 community pharmacists, 5 hospital pharmacists, and 7 industrial pharmacists. All of them used electronic platforms at least once per month on average. Respondents identified many flaws in physical package inserts that can potentially be mitigated using ePI. The speed with which drug information can be retrieved and the degree to which the drug information can be readily updated and disseminated were considered the greatest strengths of ePI. The clarity with which ePI present drug information to patients was considered as the weakest aspect of ePI. Many respondents highlighted concerns about the security risks and high cost associated with system maintenance and that certain subpopulations may not be sufficiently computer literate to navigate the ePI system. Respondents also voiced many concerns about the implementation and maintenance of a local ePI system. Conclusions We conclude that an ePI system is generally supported by pharmacists but concerns about implementation process and maintenance of the system has been raised. The perceived benefits of ePI gathered from this study, as well as collective evidence from other countries with mature ePI systems, confirm that more efforts should be made to promote optimized development and implementation of an ePI system in Hong Kong.

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