Evaluation of Training Program on Promoting Family Holistic Health

Holistic health is an integration and interaction of physical and psychosocial health. Positive psychology is a science of happiness, which focuses on positive emotions and personal strengths. It is used as a preventive and complementary medicine, which also is crucial component in family holistic health (happiness, harmony and health). Healthy diet can help to achieve energy balance and healthy weights. Sufficient daily consumption of fruit and vegetables, as well as limitation on the intake of sugar, salt and fat could prevent major diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. Physical activity is believed to contribute to physical and mental health, as well as social well-being. However, physical inactivity was found to be a local and worldwide issue and most Hong Kong people are having a sedentary lifestyle. Studies show that the increase of physical activity and healthy diet reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and improve cardio-pulmonary functions; whereas sedentary behaviors increase the risk

Although people understand the harmful effect of family disharmony, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet, which may cause different kinds of physical and mental illnesses, healthy living attitudes and behaviours are lacking.

Over the past six years, the FAMILY project has been working on community-based projects to promote FAMILY health, happiness and harmony (3Hs). In view of the health challenges locally and globally, the new phase of FAMILY project will put more emphasis on health in the upcoming three years. Following the theme on FAMILY 3Hs, the new work focus is to promote family holistic health with emphasize on the interaction and integration of physical and psychosocial health. The investigator will initiate and develop a series innovative community-based projects and training program with vigorous evaluation in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the programs.

The investigator hypothesize that the training programs would promote the health awareness and the health of the participants. During the training, the investigator will conduct physical fitness test and collect data from the participants. Those participants would conduct community programmes for their own institution to enhance the personal and family well-being of their service users.

In order to assess the effectiveness of the training program on improving individual and family well-being and their capability of community programme implementation, Self-reported questionnaire would be used at baseline, one month and three months after training; and focus group interview would be conducted after participants finishing their community programmes.