Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Following is a question by the Hon Adrian Ho and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Health, Dr Cecilia Fan, in the Legislative Council today (June 10):
Question:
In the 2025 Policy Address, the Chief Executive proposed raising public awareness of weight management, and an interdepartmental Weight Management Working Group was established in October last year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that the Department of Health (DH) published the “Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong” in 2018 and proposed nine “TARGETS BY 2025”, including halting the rise in obesity and reducing the prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adolescents and adults, to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases in Hong Kong, of the progress made by the Government in achieving these nine targets;
(2) “Raise Awareness” is one of the themes of the Action Plan on Weight Management launched by the Government in March this year, there are views pointing out that, while the body mass index (BMI) is used in the “Weight Management Compass” of DH for assessing whether body weight is normal, BMI cannot tell the problems of excessive body fat and insufficient muscle mass, whether the Government will consider encouraging adoption of additional indicators for assessment, such as the Body Roundness Index for assessing the accumulation of visceral fat, the Basal Metabolic Rate indicating the energy required to maintain basic physiological functions, etc, with a view to enhancing public understanding of weight-related issues;
(3) given that calorie management is also considered a key approach to addressing the problem of obesity, whether the Government will plan to educate the public in performing scientific calculations based on their lifestyles and everyday needs, so that they are enabled to learn to make use of data, such as macronutrients (i.e. substances which maintain body functions and serve as the primary source of energy for the body), to formulate personalised plans for calorie intake and exercises, thereby reducing the reliance of people seeking to lose weight on weight-loss drugs;
(4) given that excessive intake of saturated fats and trans fats will increase the risk of coronary heart disease, whether the Government will implement other measures, apart from organising health talks and roving exhibitions, to enhance public understanding of the nutrition information on food labels and enable them to make better use of such information, so as to facilitate them in making the most appropriate dietary choices; and
(5) given that saturated fats and trans fats are commonly found in food products, and that the effective interventions recommended by the World Health Organization include, among others, eliminating industrial trans fats through the development of legislation to ban their use in the food chain and reducing sugar consumption through effective taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages, whether the Government will consider encouraging manufacturers to develop food products with low fat and low sugar contents by way of enacting legislation or taxation, apart from providing relevant guidelines to the industry and implementing incentive measures, with a view to achieving a fully healthy local food retail market?
Reply:
President,
The Government has been highly concerned about the toll of obesity on personal health and the whole society, and prioritised its control under the “Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong” (2018 SAP) published in 2018. The 2025 Policy Address further announced that the HKSAR Government would draw on national and World Health Organization (WHO) strategic frameworks to strengthen public awareness and action on weight management. In accordance with the relevant policy directions, the Department of Health (DH) established an interdepartmental Weight Management Working Group in October 2025 and formulated Hong Kong’s inaugural Action Plan on Weight Management.
In response to the Hon Adrian Ho’s question, the reply after consultation with the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the DH is as follows:
(1) The 2018 SAP focuses on major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) (i.e. cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes mellitus) and common behavioural risk factors (i.e. unhealthy diet, insufficient physical activity, smoking and alcohol harm). It recommends taking forward relevant work with reference to nine targets (Note 1). The Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases examined in October 2025 the progress of the nine targets. The Steering Committee considered that through the collaborative efforts of various parties, the risk of premature mortality from four major NCDs in Hong Kong has declined continuously, with a reduction of over 25 per cent when compared to 15 years ago, achieving the target as set. The smoking prevalence rate in Hong Kong has reduced significantly from 23.3 per cent in 1982 to a historical low of 8.5 per cent in 2025.
However, obesity is a global issue. According to the WHO, over the past three decades the global adult obesity rate has more than doubled. Hong Kong is no exception. Other risk factors for developing NCDs like obesity and insufficient physical activity are still common in Hong Kong. As such, the Chief Executive announced in his 2024 and 2025 Policy Addresses respectively that the Government would devise health promotion strategies by adopting a life-course framework and formulate the Action Plan on Weight Management, with a view to raising public health awareness and practices through strengthening health education and promotion, cultivating a supportive environment in the community and strengthening health service delivery, etc.
The latest data on the specific quantitative indicators of the nine targets are tabulated as follows:
| Target |
Indicator |
Baseline and latest data |
| (1) A 25 per cent relative reduction in risk of premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory diseases |
Unconditional probability of dying between ages of 30 and 70 from four NCDs (cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes or chronic respiratory diseases) |
Baseline (2010): 0.099
Latest (2024): 0.073 |
| (2) At least a 10 per cent relative reduction in the prevalence of binge drinking and harmful use of alcohol (harmful drinking/alcohol dependence) among adults and in the prevalence of drinking among youth |
Age-standardised prevalence of binge drinking at least monthly among adults (aged 18+ years) |
Baseline (Population Health Survey (PHS) 2014/15): 2.4 per cent
Latest (Health Behaviour Survey (HBS) 2023): 2.9 per cent |
| Prevalence of ever drinking, 12-month drinking and 30-day drinking among young people |
Baseline (2011/12): 56.0 per cent (Ever), 41.0 per cent (12-month), 18.4 per cent (30-day)
Latest (2023/24): 40.4 per cent (Ever), 27.9 per cent (12-month), 14.3 per cent (30-day) |
| (3) A 10 per cent relative reduction in the prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adolescents and adults |
Prevalence of insufficiently physically active adolescents |
Baseline (2015/16): 93.5 per cent (Overall)
Latest (2024/25): 93.6 per cent (Overall) |
Age-standardised prevalence of insufficiently physically active persons aged 18+ years
|
Baseline (PHS 2014/15): 12.4 per cent
Latest (HBS 2023): 13.8 per cent |
| (4) A 30 per cent relative reduction in mean population daily intake of salt/sodium |
Age-standardised mean intake of salt (sodium chloride) per day among persons aged 18-84 years |
Baseline (PHS 2014/15): 8.8g
Latest (PHS 2020-22): 8.5g |
| (5) A 30 per cent relative reduction in the prevalence of current tobacco use in persons aged 15+ years |
Crude prevalence of daily cigarette smoking among persons aged 15+ years |
Baseline (2010): 11.1 per cent
Latest (2025): 8.5 per cent |
| (6) Contain the prevalence of raised blood pressure |
Age-standardised (and crude) prevalence of raised blood pressure among persons aged 18-84 years |
Baseline (PHS 2014/15): 17.8 per cent
Latest (PHS 2020-22): 15.0 per cent |
| (7) Halt the rise in diabetes and obesity |
Age-standardised (and crude) prevalence of raised blood glucose/diabetes among persons aged 18-84 years |
Baseline (PHS 2014/15): 3.9 per cent
Latest (PHS 2020-22): 4.6 per cent |
| Detection rate of overweight and obesity in primary and secondary students (based on local definition) |
Baseline (2010/11): 20.3 per cent (Overall)
Latest (2024/25): 17.5 per cent (Overall) |
| Age-standardised (and crude) prevalence of overweight and obesity in persons aged 18-84 years (based on local classification) |
Baseline (PHS 2014/15): 47.0 per cent
Latest (PHS 2020-22): 51.3 per cent |
| (8) Prevent heart attacks and strokes through drug therapy and counselling |
No quantifiable indicators |
Not applicable |
| (9) Improve availability of affordable basic technologies and essential medicines to treat major NCDs |
No quantifiable indicators |
Not applicable |
The DH is currently conducting the PHS 2025/26. Upon completion of the survey by the end of 2026, the DH will then make use of the data to review the targets and effectiveness of the 2018 SAP.
(2) & (3) The DH announced the Action Plan in March this year. The Action Plan will be implemented progressively, with each year focusing on a distinct theme, including “Raise Awareness”, “Positive Changes” and “Maintenance”, comprehensively driving weight management. The first year focuses on “Raise Awareness”. As such, the DH launched the Weight Management Compass, using Body Mass Index (BMI) (Note 2) as a screening indicator and reminds members of the public to measure their waist circumference to identify central obesity.
Commonly used indicators for the assessment of obesity and central obesity include BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, along with other assessment means including Body Roundness Index (BRI) (Note 3). Among these, BMI is the most widely used and it requires only height and weight for calculation. Statistics show that an increase in BMI is significantly associated with the risk of non-communicable diseases; the higher the value, the greater the risk. For example, the WHO and international expert organisations have established reference values for Asian adults for BMI and waist circumference respectively. Adults with a BMI between 23 and less than 25 are considered overweight, while those with a BMI of 25 or above are considered obese. For waist circumference, central obesity is defined as 90cm or above for male and 80cm or above for female. As for the relatively new BRI, the WHO has not yet established BRI-based reference values for Asians. Moreover, its calculation is relatively complex, which may make it difficult for the general public to easily understand or employ it.
Given their practicality, ease of use and effectiveness in empowering citizens to manage their weight independently, and that the WHO has established clear cut-off reference values, the DH will use BMI together with waist circumference as the main entry points to support citizens in understanding their weight condition and raising their awareness of weight management. Members of the public and healthcare personnel only need a weight measuring equipment and a measuring tape, followed by relatively easy calculations, to make a preliminary and scientific assessment on the risk of obesity and take appropriate actions.
In addition, the DH all along promotes healthy eating principles. For healthy individuals in general, daily energy requirements vary from person to person, primarily depending on age, gender and activity level. When energy intake exceeds expenditure, the excess calories are stored as fat, leading to weight gain. To effectively control weight over the long term, the keys are a balanced diet, increased physical activity, reduced sedentary time, maintaining a balance between food intake and physical activity, as well as regular weight monitoring. In view of the importance of a balanced diet, the DH recommends preventing overweight/obesity by maintaining a balance between calorie intake and expenditure. Measures include reducing the consumption of high-fat and high-sugar foods; increasing the intake of vegetables, fruits and whole grains; choosing lean meats and low-fat dairy products; adopting low-fat cooking methods; and limiting high-fat sauces and sugary beverages, together with regular physical activity, to control weight.
In accordance with the Action Plan, the DH will continue to build a supportive environment through cross-sectoral and whole-of-society collaboration, actively promoting to citizens on and helping them make healthy dietary choices. The Action Plan is widely publicised via multimedia channels including TV, radio, newspapers, social media, NCD publications, as well as through local professional bodies, collaborating partners and Working Group member platforms, with a view to enhances citizens’ awareness of weight management and healthy eating.
(4) The Nutrition Labelling Scheme in Hong Kong aims at assisting consumers to make informed food choices, encouraging food manufacturers to supply food in compliance with nutrition standard and regulating misleading or deceptive labels and claims.
The Centre for Food Safety has been promoting nutrition labels through a variety of channels, including websites, publications, pamphlets, posters and social media, with a view to enhancing public understanding from various perspectives, such that consumers could make good use of the information on the nutrition labels to make informed food choices.
(5) The Government amended the Harmful Substances in Food Regulations (Cap. 132AF) in 2021. The amendments include strengthening the regulation of industrially-produced trans fats. Specifically, partially hydrogenated oils (PHO) (the primary source of industrially produced trans fatty acids) are designated as prohibited substances in food.The import of any edible oils and fats containing PHO is banned, and the sale of any food containing PHO is also prohibited. The above requirements have been in effect since December 1, 2023. In addition, the Government has all along been making reference to the measures taken by different regions in promoting healthy eating, and has noted that different local and overseas stakeholders have different views on the effectiveness of introducing tax measures to achieve the goal of reducing public’s sugar intake from food.
Note 1: Nine targets to be achieved by 2025 include (1) A 25 per cent relative reduction in risk of premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory diseases; (2) At least a 10 per cent relative reduction in the prevalence of binge drinking and harmful use of alcohol (harmful drinking/alcohol dependence) among adults and in the prevalence of drinking among youth; (3) A 10 per cent relative reduction in the prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adolescents and adults; (4) A 30 per cent relative reduction in mean population daily intake of salt/sodium; (5) A 30 per cent relative reduction in the prevalence of current tobacco use in persons aged 15+ years; (6) Contain the prevalence of raised blood pressure; (7) Halt the rise in diabetes and obesity; (8) Prevent heart attacks and strokes through drug therapy and counselling; and (9) Improve availability of affordable basic technologies and essential medicines to treat major NCDs.
Note 2: The formula for calculating BMI is: BMI = weight (kg) ÷ [height (m) × height (m)]
Note 3: The BRI assesses body roundness through waist circumference and height, thereby predicting visceral fat accumulation and the associated cardiovascular and metabolic health risks. The standard formula for calculating BRI is: BRI = 364.2 − 365.5 × √[1 − (waist circumference (cm) / 2π)² / (0.5 × height (cm))²]