Health Bureau Launches 'e+ Life' Platform with First Challenge: 'e+ Go to Park' to Promote Healthy Habits

2024-09-14 15:15 Last Updated At：20:18

Health Bureau launches "e+ Life" health challenge platform under eHealth and officially rolls out "e+ Go to Park" game

The Health Bureau (HHB) launched the new "e+ Life" health challenge platform under eHealth and rolled out officially today (September 14) its very first health challenge, the "e+ Go to Park" game, to encourage members of the public to develop healthy habits by actively participating in health challenges. Over 100 primary and secondary school students as well as parents tried out the "e+ Go to Park" game and took part in a series of healthy activities at the launch ceremony for an energising weekend.

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Health Bureau launches "e+ Life" health challenge platform under eHealth and officially rolls out "e+ Go to Park" game Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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Health Bureau launches "e+ Life" health challenge platform under eHealth and officially rolls out "e+ Go to Park" game Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, said, "Over 6 million citizens have registered with eHealth to date since its launch in 2016, accounting for nearly 80 per cent of the Hong Kong population. The eHealth mobile application (eHealth app) has also recorded more than 3.4 million downloads. We put forward the 'eHealth+' five-year plan last year to capitalise on the solid foundation of eHealth and make further enhancements through new functions with a view to better embracing the development of healthcare technologies in the future and enabling citizens to safeguard their well-being in a more effective manner for them to take up the primary responsibility for their own health. The Government is making every effort to develop the eHealth app into a single portal for citizens to manage health records of their own and their family members, gain access to health information, facilitate personal health monitoring and establish a healthier lifestyle, serving as a healthcare piggy bank for all.

"To encourage citizens to form healthy habits, the new 'e+ Life' health challenge platform is specially launched under 'eHealth+' to allow eHealth users to join various health challenges, log their daily exercises and accumulate health coins by interfacing with tracking applications. The first health challenge, i.e. the 'e+ Go to Park' rolled out today primarily targets students. According to the Student Health Service Annual Health Report for 2022-23 school year by the Department of Health (DH), around 90 per cent of students reported an insufficient level of physical activity, which in turn correlates with issues such as obesity, social and mental health among students. We hope to leverage the various game modes of 'e+ Go to Park', including individual, family, and school challenges, to encourage students to head outdoors with their parents and friends, and enjoy the fun of playing games and exercising together, thereby improving their physical and mental health."

The "e+ Go to Park" is introduced by the HHB in collaboration with the Education Bureau, the DH and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). Participants can access the "e+ Go to Park" game for free by logging in the "e+ Life" platform through the eHealth app. The game is set in the backstory of rescuing "Sports Babies" from outer space. Players are tasked to search for and capture different virtual characters and collectibles in real life at over 200 designated parks managed by the LCSD to replenish enough "sports energy" for fuelling the trip back home for the "Sports Babies". Players need to capture energy targets around different corners of the parks in person, allowing them to work out while gaming. In addition, a number of special edition virtual characters and collectibles featuring the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China will be introduced in October for players to capture. Citizens may visit the thematic website of the eHealth app (app.ehealth.gov.hk/elife-overview) for more details of the "e+ Life" platform and the "e+ Go to Park" game.

At the launch ceremony, about 10 students debuted the dance performance for the theme song entitled "e+ Move it Up" which was specially composed for the "e+ Life" platform. Professor Lo also had a taste of the "e+ Go to Park" game and participated in activities at several sports booths together with students. The event featured a variety of entertaining programmes and health activities, including sports booths of stretching exercise, dodgebee and rope skipping, the "e+ Support Station" for weight and blood pressure measurements as well as blood sugar testing, Chinese Medicine health consultation services, and storytelling sessions with interactive picture books for children's health education.

More health challenges will be introduced on the "e+ Life" platform. Among them, the DH will roll out a walking challenge under the "10 000 Steps a Day" campaign this November to raise public awareness of the health benefits of walking, encourage people to engage in more physical activities and support their family members or friends to integrate the habit of walking 10 000 steps a day into daily life.

The Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee; Deputy Secretary for Education Mr Edward To; the Deputy Director of Health, Dr Teresa Li; Assistant Director (Leisure Services) of the LCSD Mr Henry Wong; and Acting Assistant Director of Home Affairs, Mr Gavin Yeung, also attended the launch ceremony.

"The Chief Executive's 2023 Policy Address" put forward the "eHealth+" five-year plan to transform eHealth into a comprehensive healthcare information infrastructure that integrates multiple functions of data sharing, service support and care journey management through the launch of nine new functions (including "e+ Life"). At present, parents can easily deposit, access and manage their children's health records in the eHealth App, including all records of vaccination received at Maternal and Child Health Centres since 2007 and at primary schools across the city since 2013 under the DH's Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme, as well as allergies or adverse drug reactions records. Moreover, the "Child Growth Record" function of the eHealth app has adopted the updated Hong Kong 2020 Growth References to help parents monitor the growth of their children.

Citizens may register as an eHealth user online through the "iAM Smart" mobile application, or by visiting any of the 18 designated post offices, over 70 eHealth registration centres located in different districts and eHealth mobile registration stations; as well as the various District Health Centres to register as members and activate eHealth accounts. A default consent arrangement was also made on the system to register participating citizens of government-subsidised vaccination schemes with eHealth as a streamlined registration procedure. Citizens may visit the eHealth websitefor more details on eHealth registration.

Secretary Mak Discusses Youth Development and Governance Cooperation with Sichuan Officials

2024-10-15 20:53 Last Updated At：21:08

SHYA meets with Director of Sichuan Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office

The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, today (October 15) met with the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Sichuan Provincial People's Government, Ms Zhang Tao, to exchange views on enhancing youth development and exchanges and on district governance work between Sichuan and Hong Kong. The Commissioner for Youth, Mr Eric Chan, also joined the meeting.

Miss Mak welcomed the delegation led by Ms Zhang. Miss Mak said that Hong Kong and Sichuan have had a close relationship and much to learn from one another. To enhance Hong Kong youth's understanding of the country, the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) has been actively taking forward various exchange and internship programmes. Some of them cover Sichuan (e.g. the Youth Internship Programme at Wolong Region of Giant Panda National Park under the Thematic Youth Internship Programmes to the Mainland) and receive staunch support from the Sichuan authorities, providing diversified exchange and internship opportunities for Hong Kong youth. With regard to district governance, the HKSAR Government has been striving to provide quality service and build a better community through the District Councils (DCs) and District Services and Community Care Teams, which is consistent with Sichuan's objective. Miss Mak said that HYAB had arranged a series of training and study programmes for DC members, including arranging DC members to go by batches to Zhejiang Province and Shanghai to learn about the country's principles on grassroot governance and undertake site visits to learn their experiences in undertaking grassroot governance work, so as to continuously enhance DC members' capabilities in discharging their duties; and that the work in this regard would continue in future.

Miss Mak looks forward to deepening the cooperation on youth development and exploring mutual exchange on district governance work with Sichuan, and to contribute to the country's development needs.

Health Bureau Launches 'e+ Life' Platform with First Challenge: 'e+ Go to Park' to Promote Healthy Habits

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