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The purpose of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) across two samples of Chinese college students (n = 183 and n = 366) and a sample of elite Chinese athletes (n = 330). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the existence of a unidimensional AAQ-II. Adequate internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability (one-month interval), factorial validity, and nomological validity with mindfulness, well-being, positive and negative affect/mood for both students and athletic samples were demonstrated. The AAQ-II also showed incremental validity in college students in explaining variances of well-being, positive and negative affect, anxiety, and depression, beyond the mindfulness measure. Most important, factorial invariance of the AAQ-II was demonstrated across male and female college students as well as across male and female athletes. Partial factorial invariance was also demonstrated across adolescent and adult athletes. Overall, results of this study suggest that the Chinese version of the AAQ-II may be a useful self-report measure of experiential avoidance in Chinese college students and elite Chinese athletes.

Background: There is on one hand sufficient evidence showing strong association between resilience and self-rated successful aging. On the other hand, strength training could contribute the cultivation of resilience among older adults. Therefore, the current study aims to examine the effectiveness of resistance training on resilience among Chinese older adults in Hong Kong., Methods: This study will apply a three-group, double blinded (outcome assessors and data analysts), randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine the effectiveness of the interventions on resilience, functional fitness, and health related quality of life immediately after a 16-week intervention, as well as the residual effects 12 weeks after completion of the interventions., Discussion: It is expected that resistance training is promising or even superior to aerobic training in the improvement of resilience. Given the limited evidence on the literature, it is urgently needed to explore the effects of resistance training on the improvement of resilience in older adults. Findings of the current study can contribute to the development of effective resistant training programs for the promotion of resilience among older adults., Trial Registration: The trial is registered at the ClinicalTrials.gov PRS (Trial ID: NCT04690465 ; Date of First Posted: 30/12/2020).

Background: Sleep hygiene behaviors in undergraduate students are associated with night-time sleep duration and quality, daytime sleepiness, and psychological distress. This study aimed to identify the social psychological factors that impact on university students' sleep hygiene behaviors in samples from two countries., Method: Participants were undergraduate students from Australia (N = 201, M Age  = 22.82, SD Age  = 8.89; 165 female) and Hong Kong (N = 161, M Age  = 20.47, SD Age  = 7.80; 84 female). The study used a correlational-prospective design. Individuals self-reported their intention, attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and past behavior with respect to sleep hygiene behaviors. Four weeks later, the students self-reported their action plans and participation in sleep hygiene behaviors., Results: Analysis indicated acceptable model fit to data for both the Australian and Hong Kong samples. Results showed significant direct effects of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and past behavior on intention, and significant direct effects of action planning and past behavior on prospectively measured sleep hygiene behavior. There were also significant indirect effects of attitude, subjective norms (Hong Kong sample only), and perceived behavioral control on behavior mediated by intention and action planning. Overall, the model predicted a large portion of the variance in sleep hygiene behavior for both the Australian (R 2  = .524) and Hong Kong (R 2  = .483) samples. Schenker and Gentleman t tests found no parameters significantly differed between samples., Conclusion: Results indicate that university students' sleep hygiene behaviors are a function of both motivational and volitional processes. This formative data can inform future interventions to improve the sleep hygiene practices of university students.

Similar to their Western counterparts, children in Hong Kong generally fail to reach the recommended levels of physical activity (PA). As an ultra-dense metropolis, Hong Kong is different from most Western cities. It is therefore important to update and appraise previous PA research in order to inform future PA promotion for Hong Kong children. Using a scoping review, the current study aimed to evaluate PA research among preschool and school-aged children in Hong Kong aged 3-12 years old who are at a critical development stage. Literature was searched from four English databases: Medline via EBSCOhost, SPORTDiscus, ERIC and PsycINFO via ProQuest; and three Chinese databases: CNKI, CQVIP and WAN-FANG. PA research among Hong Kong children published from 1 January 1997 to the searching date, 31 March 2020 was included. A total of 63 studies were identified, with the majority of studies focused on school-aged children as compared to preschoolers, adopted a cross-sectional design, using self-reported PA measures, and with small to medium sample sizes. We classified eligible studies into five main categories: (a) Health benefits of PA ( k = 12). Consistent evidence on the health benefits of skeletal and cardiovascular capacity, quality of life, cognitive function, and sleep quality was revealed. However, inconsistent evidence was found on the benefits of weight-related indicators and academic performance. (b) Patterns of PA ( k = 12). There is a general pattern of low levels of PA among Hong Kong children, in particular girls and children with special educational needs. (c) Measures of PA and related constructs ( k = 11). The Chinese versions of self-reported measures of PA, PA-related social environment, and PA-related psychological constructs showed acceptable reliabilities and validities. (d) Correlates of PA ( k = 18). The correlates of PA include physical environment, social environment, physical factors, psychological factors, and multiple correlates, which is in line with the social-ecological model. (e) Interventions for promoting PA ( k = 10). PA interventions among Hong Kong children were conducted for healthy children, children with special educational needs, and children with cancer. Overall, there is a growing volume of PA research among children in Hong Kong in the recent decade. Yet, there is a lack of high-quality research for measuring, understanding, and promoting PA among Hong Kong children. It is highly recommended that future PA research among children should pay more attention on the preschoolers, adopting robust research design (e.g., randomized controlled trials), recruiting large and representative sample, and collecting device-assessed data.

Although vaccination is the first-line strategy controlling and preventing influenza A/H1N1 for older adults, personal protective measures, such as wearing facemasks, are also important preventive behaviors to reduce the risk of becoming infected with influenza A/H1N1 during a pandemic. In the current study, we aimed to explore the belief-related psychological factors of wearing facemasks for influenza A/H1N1 prevention in a sample of Hong Kong older adults. Community-dwelling Chinese adults (N = 137) aged between 65 and 80 years (M age = 75.10; SD age = 6.49) participated in semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed using theoretical thematic analysis and identified themes were matched deductively within the belief-based processes of the health belief model. Results revealed beliefs that underpinned 4 general dimensions of facemask wearing: (1) perceived susceptibility and seriousness of influenza A/H1N1 pandemic (e.g., influenza A/H1N1 as contagious and lethal), (2) modifying factors (e.g., social responsibility to prevent influenza), (3) cues to action (e.g., seeing others doing it), and (4) perceived benefits and barriers (e.g., protects oneself and others, difficult to breathe). Future interventions can target these beliefs to improve facemask wearing of older adults and, thus, curb preventable infection rates during an influenza A/H1N1 pandemic.

Background: People 65 years or older are at greater risk of serious complications from the seasonal influenza compared with young. To promote elderly people's behavioral compliance toward influenza prevention, the aim of the current project is to develop, implement, and evaluate a theory-based low-administration-cost intervention building on a leading psychological theory, the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA)., Methods: The target group is Hong Kong Chinese elderly people aged 65 or older who rarely or never adopt any preventive actions. This project will be conducted in three phases over 24 months. In phase 1, intervention program will be developed building on the HAPA theoretical framework which comprises both the initiation and maintenance of influenza prevention behaviors. In phase 2, intervention will be implemented and evaluated using a randomized controlled trial, including: (a) behavior initiation only, (b) behavior initiation + behavior maintenance, and (c) control group. Both the initiation and maintenance components will comprise weekly-delivered telephone-based individual intervention sessions in 3 months. In phase 3, outcome evaluation of behavioral and psychological variables and process evaluation will be conducted. The effectiveness of the intervention will be analyzed using a series of linear mixed models on each behavioral and psychological outcome variable. Structural equation modelling will be used to test the hypothesized theoretical sequence in the HAPA model., Discussion: The proposed project is expected to design theory-based intervention materials to promote the influenza prevention behaviors in Hong Kong elderly people and provide information on its effectiveness and the potential changing mechanism of behavior initiation and maintenance., Trial Registration: This randomized controlled trial was funded by the Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF), Food and Health Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Ref: 16151222) and was registered on 13/10/2017 at CCRB Clinical Trials Registry of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a Partner Registry of a WHO Primary Registry (Ref: CUHK_CCRB00567 ).

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible central blindness among the elderly worldwide. We use exome sequencing to analyse nonsynonymous single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) across the whole genome of 216 neovascular AMD cases and 1,553 controls. As a follow-up validation, we evaluate 3,772 neovascular AMD cases and 6,942 controls from five independent cohorts in the East Asian population. Here we show strong evidence of an association at a novel, missense SNV, rs7739323, which is located in the ubiquitin protein ligase E3D (UBE3D) gene (Pmeta=1.46 × 10(-9), odds ratio (OR)=0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.63-0.88). Furthermore, ablation of the UBE3D protein lead to an abnormal amount of pigment granules deposited in retinal pigment epithelium microvilli area and an abnormal response on electroretinography (ERG) in UBE3D(+/-) heterozygous mice. Our findings indicate that the ubiquitin-proteasome system may play a role in the pathogenesis of neovascular AMD.

Background: The rates of preterm birth in Chinese women and the potential effects of differing environments are poorly understood., Aim: To determine the rate of preterm birth in Chinese women in China, Hong Kong and Western Australia., Methods: The rates of preterm birth were obtained from records of 26,611 pregnancies in Jiangsu Province in mainland China, 48,976 pregnancies in Hong Kong and 185,798 pregnancies in Western Australia., Results: Preterm birth rates increased from 2.6 and 2.9% in urban and rural Jiangsu Province, respectively, and 2.5% in China-born women in Western Australia who required an interpreter; to 4.9% in China-born women in Western Australia who did not require an interpreter; to 5.6% in non-resident Chinese women in Hong Kong; and 7.6% for women resident in Hong Kong. Within Western Australia, the rate of preterm birth was significantly less in women who were born in China and declared themselves to be Chinese (4.4%) than Caucasians (7.8%), other women who declared themselves to be 'Asian' (8.7%) and women of Aboriginal heritage (14.5%)., Conclusions: The rate of preterm birth in China is relatively low but appears to differ in Chinese women in other environments. Differences between traditional Chinese and contemporary Western lifestyles, possibly including smoking and sexual practices, may contribute to the different rates of preterm birth. Further research in this area may provide avenues for the prevention of preterm birth and also help to prevent a possible rise in this complication of pregnancy as Chinese society continues on the path of economic and social reform., (© 2011 The Authors. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology © 2011 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.)