1

Report 1

BRFS April 2010
Page 47 oI 156

3.8! Eating out habits
In this survey, three questions were asked about respondents` Irequency oI eating out
Ior breakIast, lunch and dinner during the thirty days prior to the survey.
Respondents who skipped breakIast, lunch or dinner were excluded in the analysis.
3.8.1! Eating out for breakfast
29

Overall, about three-IiIths oI the respondents (61.0) ate out Ior breakIast once a
week or more, oI which 28.5 ate out Ior breakIast 5 times or more a week during
the thirty days prior to the survey (Fig.3.8.1).

!"#$%$&$'()!*+,-+./0)12)+34".#)1-4)21*)5*+362374)8-*".#)49+)49"*40)8307):*"1*)41)49+)
7-*;+0)<='>?)
28.5
19.1
13.3
5.7
33.4
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
5 times or more
a week
2-4 times a
week
Once a week 2-3 times a
month
Once a month
or less

Base. All respondents excluding 'dont know` and those 'skipped breakfast`
1 900
3.8.2! Eating out for lunch
30

More than Iour-IiIths (82.3) oI the respondents ate out Ior lunch at least once a
week, oI which nearly halI (47.5) oI the respondents ate out Ior lunch 5 times or
more a week during the thirty days prior to the survey (Fig. 3.8.2).


29
Respondents were told that 'Eat out Ior breakIast reIers to the breakIast that is not made at home
and excludes the bread that is bought Irom a bakery.
30
Respondents were told that 'Eat out Ior lunch reIers to the lunch that is not made at home.


2
BRFS April 2010
Page 48 oI 156

!"#$%&$'$()%!*+,-+./0%12%+34".#%1-4%21*%5-./6%7-*".#%46+%46"*40%7308%9*"1*%41%46+%
8-*:+0%;<='>%
13.3
4.3
9.1
25.8
47.5
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
5 times or more
a week
2-4 times a
week
Once a week 2-3 times a
month
Once a month
or less

Base. All respondents excluding 'dont know` and those 'skipped lunch` 1 966
!"#"!! $%&'()*+,&*-+.*/'((0.
!1
*
More than three-IiIths (61.5) oI the respondents ate out Ior dinner at least once a
week. Among them, less than one-tenth (9.4) oI the respondents ate out Ior dinner
5 times or more a week during the thirty days prior to the survey (Fig. 3.8.3).
!"#$% &$'$&)% !*+,-+./0% 12% +34".#% 1-4% 21*% 7"..+*% 7-*".#% 46+% 46"*40% 7308% 9*"1*% 41% 46+%
8-*:+0%;<=?>
9.4
35.5
16.5
12.3
26.2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
5 times or more
a week
2-4 times a
week
Once a week 2-3 times a
month
Once a month
or less

Base. All respondents excluding 'dont know` and those 'skipped dinner` 1 999

31
Respondents were told that 'Eat out Ior dinner reIers to the dinner that is not made at home.


According to these three charts, we found that people trend to eat out over 2-4 times during
breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is over 40% of the interviewees (Included five times or more
per week).
3
BRFS April 2010
Page 105 oI 156

4.8! Eating out habits
4.8.1! Eating out for breakfast
The Irequency oI eating out Ior breakIast during the thirty days prior to the survey is
associated signiIicantly with respondents` gender, age, marital status, educational
attainment and occupation.
A relatively higher proportion oI the male respondents (35.5), those aged 45-54
(37.4), divorced/ separated/ widowed respondents (40.5), those who had not
completed secondary education (41.2) and blue collar workers (47.8) reported
eating out Ior breakIast 5 times or more per week during the thirty days prior to the
survey when compared with their respective counterparts (Table 4.8.1).
!"#$%&'()(*+&,-%./%012&34&%"5607&3/5&43-&#-%"84"95&:;*<=
Variable Level Base
5
times
or
more
a week
2-4
times
a week
Once
a week
2-3
times
a
month
Once
a
month
or less
p-value
Kruskal-
Wallis test
Rank
Correlation
Gender
Male 869 35.5 18.3 13.3 5.7 27.1
0.001
Female 1032 22.6 19.8 13.3 5.6 38.6
Age
18-24 233 15.2 18.1 13.7 10.5 42.6
0.002
25-34 402 25.4 21.2 13.7 4.5 35.1
35-44 436 25.6 23.7 14.4 6.2 30.1
45-54 490 37.4 17.0 11.1 4.8 29.7
55-64 322 32.1 14.3 14.2 4.6 34.8
Marital
status
Never
married
617 23.5 19.4 11.6 7.1 38.3
0.001
Married 1193 30.1 19.5 14.3 5.1 31.0
Divorced/
Separated/
Widowed
88 40.5 13.0 11.0 4.0 31.6
Educational
attainment
Primary or
below
209 33.9 17.2 14.4 5.5 29.0
0.001
Had not
completed
secondary
311 41.2 16.6 8.0 4.3 29.9
Completed
secondary
(F5)
523 33.9 18.1 13.2 6.1 28.7
Matriculation 170 14.3 20.2 12.7 8.1 44.7
Tertiary
or above
686 20.5 21.3 15.6 5.4 37.1



4
BRFS April 2010
Page 106 oI 156

Occupation
Managerial/
ProIessional
worker
483 25.7 19.8 15.7 5.0 33.8
0.001
Clerk 261 27.9 20.2 10.3 4.6 37.0
Service
worker
189 38.2 18.0 14.1 7.0 22.8
Blue collar
worker
248 47.8 8.5 11.6 4.4 27.6
Non-working
person
682 20.7 22.4 13.2 6.2 37.5

4.8.2! Eating out for lunch
The Irequency oI eating out Ior lunch during the thirty days prior to the survey is
associated signiIicantly with respondents` gender, age, marital status, educational
attainment, occupation, monthly household income and type oI living quarters.
Males (64.3), respondents aged 18-24 (54.9), never married respondents (56.5),
those with tertiary educational level or above (55.4), managers or proIessional
workers (61.6) or blue collar workers (62.1) and those living in private housing
(49.5) were more likely than their respective counterparts to have eaten out Ior
lunch 5 times or more per week during the thirty days prior to the survey. Also, the
higher the monthly household income, the more likely that the respondents ate out Ior
lunch 5 times or more per week during the thirty days prior to the survey (Table
4.8.2).

!"#$%&'()(*+&,-%./%012&34&%"5607&3/5&43-&$/018&9:;)<
Variable Level Base
5
times
or
more a
week
2-4
times
a week
Once a
week
2-3
times
a
month
Once a
month
or less
p-value
Kruskal-
Wallis
test
Rank
Correlation
Gender
Male 906 64.3 19.6 6.1 2.0 8.0
0.001
Female 1059 33.1 31.0 11.7 6.4 17.9
Age
18-24 250 54.9 34.0 4.0 1.0 6.1
0.001
25-34 426 48.7 26.5 11.1 3.8 10.0
35-44 454 45.6 27.7 9.9 3.4 13.4
45-54 498 51.7 21.8 8.4 4.6 13.5
55-64 319 35.8 21.7 10.9 8.2 23.4
Marital
status
Never married 648 56.5 26.9 8.4 2.4 5.8
0.001
Married 1230 43.4 25.7 9.4 5.2 16.4
Divorced/
Separated/
Widowed
84 37.5 18.4 10.6 7.3 26.2

5
BRFS April 2010
Page 107 oI 156


Educational
attainment
Primary or
below
209 35.3 18.6 10.3 8.1 27.8
0.001
Had not
completed
secondary
319 41.1 20.4 10.6 6.0 22.0
Completed
secondary (F5)
540 46.3 26.4 8.2 5.1 14.0
Matriculation 180 45.2 28.1 11.5 3.8 11.4
Tertiary or
above
716 55.4 29.0 8.2 2.1 5.2
Occupation
Managerial/
ProIessional
worker
500 61.6 23.9 7.6 1.6 5.3
0.001
Clerk 267 56.4 23.6 8.4 3.4 8.1
Service worker 200 56.2 17.9 8.3 3.1 14.5
Blue collar
worker
256 62.1 12.9 6.5 4.6 13.9
Non-working
person
703 26.5 34.2 11.9 6.4 21.1
Monthly
household
income
Below $8,000 122 20.4 25.6 11.1 8.3 34.6
0.001
$8,000-
$13,999
250 36.5 23.3 10.6 6.2 23.4
$14,000-
$19,999
197 45.6 24.4 8.6 3.3 18.1
$20,000-
$39,999
558 50.9 29.0 7.4 4.4 8.3
$40,000 or
above
435 58.3 24.5 9.4 1.4 6.3
Type of
living
quarters
Public rental
Ilats
632 45.0 25.2 6.3 4.9 18.6
0.001
Subsidized sale
Ilats
288 46.4 20.9 14.0 5.1 13.6
Private housing 1021 49.5 27.2 9.6 3.8 9.9
4.8.3! Eating out for dinner
Statistically signiIicant associations exist between the Irequency oI eating out Ior
dinner during the thirty days prior to the survey and respondents` gender, age, marital
status, educational attainment, occupation, monthly household income and type oI
living quarters.
A relatively higher proportion oI male respondents (12.4), those aged 18-34
(ranged Irom 11.8 to 12.0), never married respondents (13.8) or divorced/
separated/ widowed respondents (12.9), those who had attained tertiary education
or above (11.9), service workers (14.6), those who had monthly household
income oI $14,000 or above (ranged Irom 9.8 to 10.6) and those living in private
housing (11.1) reported that they ate out Ior dinner 5 times or more during the thirty
days prior to the survey when compared to their respective counterparts (Table 4.8.3).


From the table, we can found that people who eat out 5 times or over are having a job. And
the age range is 18-24 and 45-54. Those people cannot eat at home because they are having
work such as blue collar, clerk and professional worker. For the people who almost eat at
home for lunch everyday, we found that there are 21.1% of interviewees are non-working
person like housewives, retirees (Estimate from the age range).
6
BRFS April 2010
Page 108 oI 156

!
"#$%&!'()(*+!,-&./&012!34!&#5607!3/5!43-!8600&-!9:;<=!!
"#$%#&'(! )(*('! +#,(!
-!.%/(,!
0$!
/0$(!#!
1((2!
345!
.%/(,!#!
1((2!
678(!#!
1((2!
349!
.%/(,!#!
/07.:!
678(!#!
/07.:!
0$!'(,,!
;4*#'<(!
=$<,2#'4
>#''%,!.(,.!
?#72!
@0$$('#.%07!
A(7B($!
Male 916 12.4 36.3 15.6 11.0 24.7
0.001
Female 1082 6.9 34.9 17.3 13.4 27.4
CD(!
18-24 250 11.8 42.4 13.1 8.4 24.3
0.001
25-34 429 12.0 50.1 16.9 6.4 14.6
35-44 459 8.8 38.0 18.8 11.7 22.8
45-54 510 9.4 30.1 17.5 15.3 27.7
55-64 332 5.6 17.0 14.0 19.0 44.4
E#$%.#'!
,.#.<,!
Never married 653 13.8 45.7 14.6 7.8 18.1
0.001
Married 1253 6.9 31.7 17.8 14.0 29.6
Divorced/
Separated/
Widowed
90 12.9 16.4 14.0 21.9 34.8
FB<8#.%07#'!
#..#%7/(7.!
Primary or
below
220 2.6 14.5 11.2 18.0 53.7
0.001
Had not
completed
secondary
327 7.4 22.6 13.6 14.5 42.0
Completed
secondary (F5)
549 10.0 34.5 16.3 14.7 24.5
Matriculation 184 9.9 31.7 20.5 10.9 27.1
Tertiary or
above
718 11.9 49.7 18.7 8.2 11.4
688<;#.%07!
Managerial/
ProIessional
worker
501 12.2 49.3 18.5 8.5 11.5
0.001
Clerk 269 12.6 43.3 16.4 11.1 16.6
Service
worker
201 14.6 39.8 11.9 11.5 22.2
Blue collar
worker
258 7.5 19.9 15.0 14.4 43.2
Non-working
person
731 5.8 27.2 17.2 15.0 34.8


7
BRFS April 2010
Page 109 oI 156


!"#$%&'(
%")*+%"&,(
-#."/+(
Below $8,000 128 6.1 11.2 14.0 16.2 52.5
0.001
$8,000-$13,999 252 7.9 24.0 15.5 13.7 38.9
$14,000-19,999 203 10.6 30.4 14.4 14.2 30.3
$20,000-
$39,999
561 9.9 41.3 13.9 11.0 23.9
$40,000 or
above
437 9.8 47.8 23.5 9.5 9.4
0'1+("2(
&-3-#4(
5)67$+7(
Public rental
Ilats
651 7.4 27.8 13.5 13.0 38.4
0.001
Subsidized sale
Ilats
293 7.2 37.3 18.6 14.5 22.3
Private housing 1030 11.1 40.4 17.9 11.1 19.5
!




For dinner, over 60% of interviewees eat out over 2 times a week. They are the professional
workers, clerks and service workers. It shows that people who have long working hours or in
shifts forced them to eat out for dinner. Housewives, retirees and blue-collar workers are
most likely to eat at home at night.
8

9
Report 2

Healthy Eating Project in Food Premises: Population-Based Survey




Page 7

Knowledge of serving sizes and health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption
The knowledge of serving sizes of fruit and vegetables was low. Except for the serving size of
a woman-fist sized apple (52% gave a correct answer), less than one-third of the respondents
answered correctly the serving sizes of a cup of grapes (17.9%), a rice bowl of cooked
vegetables (21.6%) and a rice bowl of raw leafy vegetables (32%). Further, a substantial
proportion (17% to 22%) gave a dont know answer.

Respondents with monthly personal income of $10,000-$19,999 (OR=1.75, 95% CI: 1.28-2.40)
or $30,000 or above (OR=1.64, 95% CI: 1.04-2.58), and those who were aware of the 2 Plus
3 A Day campaign (OR=1.49, 95% CI: 1.08-2.05) were more likely than others to have better
knowledge of serving sizes of fruit and vegetables.

The majority (85.6%) of respondents perceived that adequate consumption of fruit and
vegetables would prevent cancers of the gut, whereas they were less certain about the health
benefits with respect to prevention of heart diseases (67.7%), stroke (60.7%) and diabetes
(51.9%).

Consumption behaviour of fruit, vegetables, high fat food, high salt food and high sugar
food
Of all respondents, only 20.5% and 8.5% respectively met the recommended amounts of daily
consumption of fruit (t2 servings) and vegetables (t3 servings). A number of factors were
found to be associated with adequate daily consumption of fruit and vegetables. For example,
perception that adequate fruit and vegetable consumption has the health benefits of disease
prevention and awareness of the 2 Plus 3 A Day campaign were associated with adequate
fruit and vegetable consumption, whereas the reverse was true for eating out for lunch
frequently (5 to 7 times in the past week). Other variables including marital status, education
level and behaviour of choosing or requesting food with more fruit/vegetable when eating out
were also found to be significant factors.

Of all respondents, 27.9%, 5.1% and 17.9% respectively consumed high fat food, high salt
food and high sugar food 4 to 7 days per week.

Barriers of fruit and vegetable consumption
The main perceived barriers for eating more fruit and vegetables were too busy to buy/eat
(15.6%), not commonly available when eating out (9.8%) and no one serve them to
me/lazy (9.7%). About one-third (35%) stated no particular reason for not more eating fruit
and vegetables.



10
Healthy Eating Project in Food Premises: Population-Based Survey




Page 8
Eating out habits
Of all respondents, 26.5%, 43.8% and 5.9% respectively ate breakfast, lunch and dinner
outside of home 5 to 7 times in the past week. Among those who ate out in the past week, the
majority of them patronized Chinese restaurants including Hong Kong style tea restaurants
(62% to 67.1%) and fast food shops (9.5% to 30.3%). The eating-out habits (especially eating
out for lunch) were found to be associated with consumption of less fruit and vegetables.

Food selection practices when eating out
Overall, 36.9% of the respondents always or often chose or requested food with more fruit and
vegetables when eating out, while 37.9%, 27.3% and 29.8% respectively always or often
chose or requested food with less fat/oil, less salt and less sugar. In addition to some
demographic characteristics such as age group, marital status and education level, perceived
health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption, perceived low fruit/vegetable or high
fat/oil/salt/sugar ingredients in food provided by food premises and awareness of the 2 Plus 3
A Day campaign were associated with making healthier food selection practices.

Perception of ingredients in food provided by food premises
Of all respondents, 84.5% and 53.9% respectively perceived that fruit and vegetable
ingredients were too little in food provided by food premises. On the other hand, 60.1%,
40.9% and 27.2% respectively perceived that fat/oil, salt and sugar ingredients were too much
in food provided by food premises.

Expectation for food premises about ingredients in food
The majority (93%) of the respondents would like food premises to provide food with more
fruit/vegetables, less fat/oil, less salt and less sugar in ingredients.

Suggestions for food premises on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption
The common suggestions for food premises on increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables
when eating out were: more choices (40%), followed by free/cheaper (22%) and
delicious (12.1%).

Perceived effectiveness of healthy eating promotion in food premises
Most respondents perceived the measures of healthy eating promotion in food premises to be
effective or very effective: labeling clearly in menu those dishes with more fruit/vegetables,
less fat/oil, less salt or less sugar (84.1%); providing more food choices with more
fruit/vegetables, less fat/oil, less salt or less sugar in food premises (90.6%); offering
cash/discount coupons for dishes with fruit/vegetables, less fat/oil, less salt or less sugar (74%);
and advertising or promoting in food premises (79.5%).


Through the report, it shows that people cannot have a healthy diet when they eating out.
They prefer to have more vegetable and fruit for them to choose. They also suggested that
they could have more choices and less oil, salt and sugar in their meal.
11

News 1

4/9/13 11:27 PM Generation Y women losing 'female' skills such as cooking, ironing and sewing | News.com.au
Page 1 of 3 http://www.news.com.au/national-news/generation-y-women-losing-femls-such-as-cooking-ironing-and-sewing/story-e6frfkvr-1225996810578
OUT OF THE KITCHEN: Young women wielding cooking equipment is an increasingly rare sight.
News.com.au
National News - old - do not use
Generation Y women losing 'female' skills such as
cooking, ironing and sewing
by: By Helen Pow
From: The Sunday Mail (Qld)
January 30, 2011 3:07AM
399 comments
Gender roles now being forgotten
Life too fast and busy for DIY skills
Generation Y less able than others
Tweet
BASIC
"female"
skills are
becoming

12

4/9/13 11:27 PM Generation Y women losing 'female' skills such as cooking, ironing and sewing | News.com.au
Page 2 of 3 http://www.news.com.au/national-news/generation-y-women-losing-femls-such-as-cooking-ironing-and-sewing/story-e6frfkvr-1225996810578
Source: HWT Image Library
BACK TO THE FUTURE: The traditional domestic skills of women, often stereotyped as those of the '50s housewife, risk being lost by
today's Generation Y.
Source: Getty Images
endangered with fewer young women able to iron a shirt, cook a roast chicken or hem a skirt.
Just as more modern men are unable to complete traditional male tasks, new research shows Generation Y
women can't do the chores their mothers and grandmothers did daily, reported The Courier-Mail.
Only 51 per cent of women aged under 30 can cook a roast compared with 82 per cent of baby boomers.
Baking lamingtons is a dying art with 20 per cent of Gen Y capable of whipping up the Aussie classic, down
from 45 per cent for previous generations.
Social researcher Mark McCrindle said: "Women of today tend to be busier, juggling more roles, and are
quite prepared to compromise a bit of the homemade just to save some time.
"They also have a lot more disposable income compared with their mums and their grandmothers so buying
a cake mix or lamingtons ready-made is not a big deal."
Traditional skills outside the kitchen are falling by the wayside with Gen Y women woefully behind their older
counterparts, the study by McCrindle Research found. Only 23 per cent can grow a plant from a cutting
when 78 per cent of older women say this is a breeze.
13
4/9/13 11:27 PM Generation Y women losing 'female' skills such as cooking, ironing and sewing | News.com.au
Page 3 of 3 http://www.news.com.au/national-news/generation-y-women-losing-femls-such-as-cooking-ironing-and-sewing/story-e6frfkvr-1225996810578
"We live in a throw-away culture where, rather than repair something, we will buy a new one, even if it is just
a matter of darning holes or sewing on buttons," Mr McCrindle said.
"As such, many women have lost these skills. If we do want something repaired, women today are more
likely to take it to their local drycleaner because they are busy and can afford it."
Driving manual cars is also on the decline with just 40 per cent of women under 30 possessing this skill
compared to 71 per cent of older women.
The results tally with a recent survey, which found that Australian men from Gen Y were more comfortable
changing a nappy than changing a tyre.
But Gen Y women are taking on other skills.
As well as working full or part-time, they are doing tasks previously done by men.
More than 70 per cent of women under 30 say they often take out the bins, 77 per cent mow the lawn and
70 per cent claim they wash the car.

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Copyright 2013 News Limited. All times AEST (GMT +10:00).


Female are losing their feminine skills, and this is because female trends to work outside and
they have less chance to handle housework at home. No need to cook at home or did it by
domestic helpers cause their cooking, sewing skills are disappearing.
14

Journal 1

Domestic cooking skills
- what are they?
13
Frances Short
Abstract
Debate about the state of contemporary
domestic cooking skills has intensified in
recent years. World-wide, pre-prepared
foods and modern technologies are seen as
having brought about changes to peoples
abilities to cook. Some experts argue that
domestic cooking skills are in decline,
others that they are undergoing a transition.
Empirically gathered knowledge about
domestic cooking however, is scant and
lacks theoretical perspective. The concept of
cooking skills is rarely defined and usually
interpreted as a straightforward set of
practical techniques or tasks. As a result,
debate has tended to remain speculative and
difficult to develop.
This paper draws on the findings of a
qualitative study of thirty cooks, living in
England. It aimed to provide a systematically
researched way of thinking about domestic
cooking, including cooking skills. The
fieldwork for the study took place between
1997 and 1999. The findings of the study
revealed that useful insight into peoples
cooking practices and approaches came
from interpreting cooking skills as complex
(consisting of mechanical, perceptual,
conceptual, academic and planning skills)
and person-centred. This interpretation
throws new light on current debate by
showing, for example, how cooking skills
can be seen as specifically domestic and
that, rather than be viewed as in decline,
domestic cooking skills can be seen as
constant and unchanging. It also provides
additional insight into another finding of the
study - that, when domestic cooking is
examined closely and from the perspective
of the cooks cooking abilities and
knowledge, it is difficult to see cooking
from scratch and cooking with pre-
prepared foods as two clearly discernible
concepts and practices.
Background to the study
Concerns about domestic cooking
and cooking skills
In recent years academics and specialists
from all over the world have become
concerned about the state of domestic
cooking and cooking skills (Baderoon, 2002;
Bonzo, Kitson & Wardrop, 2000; Foodshare,
2002; Lang et al., 1999; Perinau, 2002;
Rodrigues & de Almeida, 1996; Zubiada &
Tapper, 2001). Many have argued that it is
being routinised, deskilled and devalued by
the ready availability of industrially prepared
convenience foods (Mintz, 1985 and 1996;
Ripe, 1993; Ritzer, 1996). Others suggest that
there is an ongoing revision of domestic
cooking practices and skills as cooking
increasingly becomes a recreational pastime
in addition to a necessary daily task (Lang &
Caraher, 2001).
The ready availability of factory-prepared
foods is sometimes regarded as part of a
positive restructuring of domestic food
practices. Pre-prepared and ready-prepared
foods are perceived as introducing variety to
monotonous diets and encouraging people
to be less reliant on skilled cooks (Mennell,
1996). They have also been said to give
women a greater choice over the quantity of
food preparation that they do (Davies, 1998;
Ridgewell, 1996). (Studies in the United
Kingdom have shown women to be chiefly
responsible for family food provision
[Caplan et al., 1998; Murcott, 2000].) More
common are opposing claims that through
the use of pre-prepared and ready-prepared
foods, cooking is routinised and deskilled
and the choice to cook with raw foods is
removed (Gofton, 1992; Stitt et al., 1996).
Further, it is argued that routinisation and
Journal of the HEIA
Vol 10, No. 3, 2003
Frances Short, PhD
is a food writer and
researcher
Honorary Research
Fellow of the
Department of Health
Management
and Food Policy,
City University, London
69 First Avenue
London
E17 9QG
UK
Email:
franceslshort@aol.com

15
14
deskilling are exacerbated by the lack of
opportunity for children to acquire cooking
skills from parents and guardians who use
pre-prepared foods (Lang & Baker, 1993;
Leith, 1998; Street, 1994.)
Debate about the decline of domestic
cooking skills is sometimes focused on the
disappearance of the skills themselves.
Concern is associated with the self-
identification and self-value that, it is
argued, come from having useful and
necessary cooking skills (Gofton, 1995).
More often however, concern lies with
cooking skills as a means to an end. It is
argued that a decline of cooking skills can
be connected with a commensurate decline
in life-enhancement, family relationships
and social processes (Longfield, 1996;
Mintz, 1996; Shore, 2002), the role (whether
subjugated or emancipated) of women as
food providers (Dixey, 1996) and an ability
to follow dietary guidelines and control diet
(Department of Health [UK], 1996; Leather,
1996). A decline in cooking skills is also a
key reason for the ever-increasing power of
food industries and retailers say Stitt et al.
(1996) and Ritzer (1996). In England and
Wales these concerns were heightened
when a schools National Curriculum was
introduced. Cookery is now usually taught
as part of Design and Technology rather
than Home Economics and is generally
considered to be less practically and
domestically based (Lang et al., 1999; Royal
Society of Arts, 1999; Stitt, 1996).
Theoretical perspectives
Problems in finding a theoretical
perspective
Finding knowledge about domestic cooking
to inform the study was neither simple nor
straightforward. Symons has suggested that
his historical study of cooks and cooking
[1998] is probably the first book about
cooks rather than for cooks. Warde (1997)
(who has made an historical comparison of
cookery columns) points out, for example,
that cookery books, food journals and so
on have no explicit theoretical base or
analytic framework and do not necessarily
represent actual cooking practices. For an
informative, theoretical and analytic
perspective of domestic cooking it was
necessary to extricate information from a
widespread food studies literature.
Sociological and social-anthropological
studies, mainly of food choice and
consumption, proved to be the most useful.
These are described elsewhere (Short,
2003a and 2003b).
However, to understand more about
cooking skills, including skills in general
and debate about deskilling, there was a
more specific literature to review.
The deskilling theory
Hypotheses about the deskilling and
decline of domestic cooking came to
prominence in the 1990s (Lang et al., 1996;
Stitt, 1996; Ripe, 1993; Ritzer, 1996). They
are generally based on a theory by Harry
Braverman (1974), described in his book
Labor and Monopoly Capital. The book
concerns the influence of technological,
rationalised systems of production on the
collective craft identity and the well-being
and happiness of workers. Braverman
argues that within rationalised, industrial
systems, the worker performs only a
simplified part of a complete task. He or
she is divorced from the complete process,
the conception and execution of that task.
Braverman argues that this fragmented
work leaves the worker deskilled, degraded
and dissatisfied. The industrial deskilling
process, he goes on to say, is self-
perpetuating in that deskilled workers
require ever more simplified and
rationalised work.
One of a number of criticisms aimed at
Bravermans work is that he does not
comment on what happens in an
industrialised society, to the skills,
satisfactions and identifications of people
working in the domestic environment. It
has been suggested that he romanticises the
traditional artisan and clings to a
mechanistic conception of skill. Indeed,
there are counter-arguments that
technological change and new systems of
production may give rise to new, possibly
even superior, skills (Gabriel, 1990).
Deskilling and domestic cooking
The increased consumption, variety and
availability of industrially pre-prepared food
has suggested to some (see above) that a
deskilling process similar to that described
by Braverman as occurring in the
workplace, is happening in the domestic
environment, to cooking. Veronica Beechey
(1982, p.54) however, in a paper that
discusses Bravermans deskilling theory in
relation to housework and housewives,
argues that caution should be taken before
Journal of the HEIA Vol. 10, No. 3, 2003
Pre-prepared and
ready-prepared
foods give women
a greater choice
over the quantity
of food preparation
that they do.


16
15
transposing hypotheses onto the domestic
environment. Labour processes in the
workplace are valued differently to those in
the home she points out, as are the skills
involved in those processes. She argues that
cooking has only ever been perceived as
skilled when performed by professional
chefs working in commercial environments.
Current understandings and
conceptualisations of domestic
cooking skills
Knowledge about contemporary domestic
cooking skills to inform the research was
drawn from studies with a public health or
education focus. However, these studies
(see Dunmeyer-Stookey & Barker, 1994;
Lang et al., 1996 and 1999; Nicolaas, 1995;
Street, 1994; Wrieden et al., 2002), perhaps
because their focus is not on cooking and
cooking skills per se, were found to provide
no definitions of cooking skills. Cooking
skills was frequently found to be used
vaguely and in reference to techniques
(often culturally specific) and tasks such as
braising or casseroling, jointing a chicken,
making a white sauce, cooking beans and
pulses, making shortcrust pastry and so on.
Other related terms and concepts such as
being skilled (or otherwise), cook, from
scratch, basic skills, ready-prepared
foods, from scratch were also found to be
used inconsistently and without clear
definition. Further, current discourse about
(the decline, revision, reskilling or
deskilling of) domestic cooking offered
little explanation about how for example,
cooking with pre-prepared foods requires
and utilises different or less skills than
cooking with fresh, raw foods or how
contemporary kitchen technology routinises
or changes cooking skills.
The complexity of skills
Many specialists warn about the dangers of
over-simplifying skills and/or over-
emphasising the mechanical aspects of
practical tasks. Wellens (1974) cautions that
a short, simple definition of skill is always
misleading because it is such a complex
concept (p.1). Singleton (1978) points out
that all practical tasks require a combination
of mechanical abilities, academic
knowledge and tacit perceptual,
conceptual and planning skills. It is tacit
skills he says, that are used to visualise the
process of a task, plan and design it, and
provide the confidence to carry it out.
Both Wellens (1974) and Singleton (1978)
also point out that terms such as skilled,
unskilled and skillful are rarely linked to
any actual, detailed appraisal of skills or
skill levels but are used in a very narrow
way relating solely to the mechanical aspect
of a practical task. Wood (1982) argues that
in the workplace these descriptive terms are
used to differentiate between jobs and pay
levels and are relatively independent of the
real or technical skill content of jobs
(p.18).
Skills experts and researchers also explain
that skills can be defined, described and
understood at different levels of detail.
Finding the most informative level of detail
for the study you are carrying out is
generally considered by experts to be the
key to useful skills research (Beechey, 1982;
Lee, 1982). Further, essential to any
understanding of disparities in ability
between groups or individuals is the
understanding that skills can be
conceptualised according to the
requirement of the job or the capabilities
of the worker (Lee, 1982, pp 148149).
Aims of the study
Many academics, including James and
McColl (1997) and Lang et al. (1999), have
pointed out that debate about the state of
domestic cooking and cooking skills, and
their influence on food preparation
practices and food choices (and on health,
well-being, family relationships and so on)
remains speculative and difficult to develop
because there is a deficit of research with a
clear, theoretical and philosophical base
that focuses specifically on cooking. As has
been shown, the literature review carried
out for this study substantiated this view.
Therefore, in order to further discourse and
debate, the study aimed to provide a
systematic framework for thinking
(Murcott 1995, p.232) about, and detailed
insight into, contemporary domestic
cooking. A key requirement of the study
was, therefore, to establish an empirically
grounded and informative understanding of
cooking skills.
Methodological approach,
design and process
In order to be exploratory, and to develop,
explain and build knowledge, the research
took a qualitative, interpretative approach.
A qualitative approach was thought suitable
Domestic cooking skills - what are they?
All practical tasks
require a
combination of
mechanical
abilities, academic
knowledge and
tacit perceptual,
conceptual and
planning skills.


Using prepared food is quite popular nowadays. It can reduce the time of cooking and it
might be more delicious then cooking by them. It brings a pernicious cycle to treat peoples
health.
17
Journal 2


LAI YEUNG Wai-ling, Theresa
Department of Mathematics,
Science, Social Sciences and
Technology
Home Economics Division
The Hong Kong Institute of
Education
D3 1/F 01, 10 Lo Ping Road,
Tai Po, N.T. Hong Kong
Telephone: +852 29487641
Fax: +852 29487726
Email: tlai@ied.edu.hk
A study of perceptions of
food preparation skills in
Hong Kong adolescents
16
Wai-ling Theresa Lai Yeung
Abstract
Food preparation skills are among the essential
practical skills young people need to learn in order
to equip themselves for independent, healthy adult
lives. This study examined Hong Kong adolescents
perceptions of these skills. A questionnaire survey
was conducted among 588 secondary school students
aged 11 to 18 years in Hong Kong. Data regarding
subjects experiences in cooking, their attitudes to
cooking skills and their families cooking habits were
elicited. The findings revealed that cooking was
generally considered to be interesting and important
by young people, and more respondents cooked by
reason of their own interest rather than because they
had a responsibility to do so. Mothers were the most
frequently cited source of cooking skills (47%), with
school second (27%), recipe books third (11%),
fathers fourth (7%) and TV programs least (4%).
The majority of the students claimed that their
family meals were primarily prepared with fresh food
ingredients, and more than 60% of them reported
they were confident about using fresh ingredients
to cook though most of them either never or rarely
have chances to cook together with their parents. The
implications of the findings for further research and
for schools food and nutrition education initiatives
are discussed.
Introduction
Domestic cooking skills are undergoing a
transition. In the contemporary eating culture,
more foods are being eaten away from home.
In addition to the acceptance of fast foods,
home delivery of restaurant food and sales of
home meal replacements at supermarkets are
becoming popular (Bowers, 2000; Browne,
2003). Consequently, domestic food preparation
skills appear to be less relevant to young people
nowadays, and children may be deskilled in
cooking due to lack of exposure and opportunity
to acquire cooking skills from parents (Caraher &
Lang, 1999; Lang & Caraher, 2001; Short, 2003).
Indeed, several investigators have suggested that
lack of familiarity with food and lack of food
preparation skills are important barriers to the
consumption of a healthy diet (Kellet, 2001; Lang
& Caraher, 2001; Stanton, 2001; Clarkson &
Garnett, 1995; Caraher, Baker and Burns, 2004).
The relevance of cooking skill to healthy
eating and healthy living
Food preparation skills have been claimed to
be an essential set of practical skills that young
people require to make healthy food choices and
to equip themselves for independent adult life
(Caraher & Lang, 1999; Caraher, Lang, Dixon &
Carr-Hill, 1999). Lyon, Colquhoun & Alexander
(2003) claim that they are essential for the
survival of young people living away from home.
In contrast, contemporary lifestyles, dual income
family living, advances in food preparation
and storage, and convenient retail food outlets
encourage eating out and the consumption of
convenience foods containing high densities of
saturated fats, sugars, energy and salt and low
concentrations of dietary fibres and vitamins. This
poses both nutritional and social implications for
individuals and families. Lack of cooking skills
may result in greater reliance on such processed
and convenience foods (Caraher & Lang, 1999;
Caraher et al., 1999; Stanton 2001). It has been
argued that young people who can cook will be
more able to consume healthier diets than those
with fewer skills (Burke, 2002).
Lack of cooking skills may also facilitate the
replacement of major meals by snacks and
convenience foods bought from fast food outlets.
Snacking encourages solitary eating in front of the
television, exposing children to the adverse effects
of food advertising (Stanton, 2001). Furthermore,
ready-prepared meals or convenience meals could
often be served individually by simply reheating,
not necessarily served at the same time, and on the
same site. Therefore opportunities for interactions
among family members are deprived. In contrast,
home-cooked family meals are more likely to be
shared in a social atmosphere around a family
Journal of the HEIA
Vol 14, No. 2 2007


Most of the younger generation lives independently because of their works or studies. They
prefer to eat healthily if they can. They were concerning the flavoring of the meal, which sold
in restaurants. And they can consume healthier if they can cook by themselves.
18

Article 1

4/10/13 12:11 AM Gen Y becomes Gen G the gourmet generation - CSMonitor.com
Page 1 of 2 http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0709/Gen-Y-becomes-Gen-G-the-gourmet-generation
Gen Y becomes Gen G the gourmet
generation
For many young people, cooking is the hot new trend becoming at once theater, entertainment,
self-definition, status, and creative expression. Why Millennials wield spatulas and smoked paprika.
By Gloria Goodale, Staff writer / July 9, 2011
When not studying anthropology in the library stacks, college student Erica Fedderly
can usually be found in one other room her kitchen. She might be putting a pinch of
turmeric on a tilapia filet. Or creating something with ingredients from her personal herb
garden. Or testing an obscure recipe she found on the Internet.
Ms. Fedderly is a self-described "foodie." The
senior at the University of California, Los
Angeles, attended a semester of culinary
school in New Jersey before heading west. But
her interest in food transcends just learning the
technical skills of how to prepare a meal. It has
become an all-consuming passion even a
lifestyle.
"I love Mexican spices and French sauces, but
I also really like Vietnamese cooking, which is
a great combination of French and Asian," she
says.
Fedderly wields the wooden cooking spoon
(hand-tooled, preferably from a developing
nation) of a generation of youth brought up on
arugula not iceberg lettuce, paninis not peanut
butter and jelly sandwiches, free-range
chickens not caged ones. Raised with
unprecedented exposure both real and virtual
to world cuisines and global concerns, this Millennial Generation now coming of age
as young adults is redefining what it means to love food. These 20-somethings aren't
just passionate about, say, Mexican cuisine or counting bad or good cholesterol. Their
foodie lifestyle is one part cooking, one part social conscience. They create meals in a
kitchen jammed with friends, from recipes they've spent hours discussing, with
ingredients they know the origin of in precise detail. For them, food exploration and
preparation has become at once theater, entertainment, self-definition, status, and
creative expression.
"This generation has more awareness around food than any generation in history,"
says Kit Yarrow, an expert on Millennials at Golden Gate University in San Francisco.
LOS ANGELES
In Pictures: America's Food
Renaissance
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America's new culinary renaissance
A New Orleans cafe serves training,
knowledge with its food
Foodie nation: Why we're in the kitchen
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19


An expert said This generation (generation Y) has more awareness around food than any
generation in history, Generation Y likes eating. Foodie can bring them an interest in
cooking. They can also have more chances to go into the kitchen and cook with friends. They
also think that cooking at home is cheap rather than eating out. They are highly interested in
cooking. But they lack of the cooking skills, it caused a barrier for them to cook at home.
4/10/13 12:13 AM Gen Y becomes Gen G the gourmet generation - CSMonitor.com
Page 1 of 2 http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0709/Gen-Y-becomes-Gen-G-the-gourmet-generation/(page)/2
Gen Y becomes Gen G the gourmet
generation
For many young people, cooking is the hot new trend becoming at once theater, entertainment,
self-definition, status, and creative expression. Why Millennials wield spatulas and smoked paprika.
(Page 2 of 2)
Cooking has also become more accessible. Ten years ago, says author Christopher
Powell, who helped launch retailer Williams-Sonoma, cooking classes still carried the
mystique of Le Cordon Bleu-prescribed way of doing things. Then, personalities such
as Rachael Ray, with no credentials other than a passion for food, began to demystify
cooking. Now, he says, "food is something anyone can do."
While the under-30 crowd mirrors a larger
societal shift toward fascination with food, it
brings its own technology-driven spin to the
mix. Whitney Williams, a psychology major at
Santa Monica College in California, uses the
Internet to research everything from good
versus bad carbohydrates to sugar levels in
fruit. She will tap social media to talk about
recipes and food ingredients.
Yet she, like many Gen-Yers, also sees food
as a natural counterbalance to the antiseptic
world of computers. "Food is such a great
connection to the earth and the real world of
my friends," she says.
One generation's approach to food has always
been shaped by technology and its relationship
to previous generations. At one point, says
Beth Forrest, a food historian at the Culinary
Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., canned
goods were the rage because they allowed
people to eat vegetables anytime of year
something they couldn't do previously without smoking or drying them.
In the 1960s, the interest in organic farming and ethnic foods was a protest against
what the younger generation felt was "the lack of authenticity in their parents' world of
processed food and lack of racial diversity," she says.
Today, as the first generation to grow up immersed in a digital world, Millennials find
something satisfying in using skillets and smoked paprika. "Food uses all your senses,
which is just the opposite of a virtual world," says Ms. Forrest.
In Pictures: America's Food
Renaissance
Related stories
America's new culinary
renaissance
A New Orleans cafe serves training,
knowledge with its food
Foodie nation: Why we're in the kitchen
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4/10/13 12:13 AM Gen Y becomes Gen G the gourmet generation - CSMonitor.com
Page 2 of 2 http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0709/Gen-Y-becomes-Gen-G-the-gourmet-generation/(page)/2
1 | 2
by Taboola
For Millennial food bloggers Cara Eisenpress and Phoebe Lapine, both relatively recent
graduates of Ivy League schools, there is an element of social protest in their interest in
food as well. They have published a book, "In the Small Kitchen: 100 Recipes From
Our Year of Cooking in the Real World," intended to take back good food from the
experts and high-priced restaurants. "A mediocre meal for one can cost $40," says Ms.
Lapine, "while for the same amount of money, you can buy the groceries and cook a
really great meal for your friends at home."
Related stories
America's new culinary renaissance
A New Orleans cafe serves training, knowledge with its food
Foodie nation: Why we're in the kitchen
From The Web
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4/10/13 12:11 AM Gen Y becomes Gen G the gourmet generation - CSMonitor.com
Page 2 of 2 http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0709/Gen-Y-becomes-Gen-G-the-gourmet-generation
1 | 2
Many of them are swelling the classrooms of cooking schools around the country. The
Boston Center for Adult Education, for instance, runs about 100 cooking-related
classes a month. In recent years, the faces "have been getting younger and younger,"
says Brehon Garcia-Dale, manager of the food and wine program, who notes that most
of her instructors are now in their 20s, too.
One reason is the explosion of food shows on TV that have turned chefs into celebrities
and made cooking "cool."
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20

Table 1

21
The majority (89%) claimed that their family
meals were primarily prepared with fresh food
ingredients. While more than 50% said the
usual origin of the food ingredients was from the
fresh food market, 22% said their family mainly
shopped for food in the supermarket. Almost
half (49%) of the students considered family
members taste and preferences as the main
influence over their choice of food ingredients.
In more than 50% of families, mothers decided
the choice of dishes and ingredients for family
meals (Table 6).
Discussion
Teaching young people cooking skills not only
equips them for independent adult life but, in
the long run also helps them develop healthy
lifestyles (Burke, 2002; Lyon et al., 2003)
However, it is often claimed that young people
no longer have the skills, time and inclination
to cook a meal (Caraher et al., 1999; Lang and
Caraher, 2001). The findings of this study show
that young people in Hong Kong possess very
positive attitudes towards cooking. Cooking was
generally considered to be interesting and valued
as an important life skill.
The statistically significant differences between
the views of male and female respondents with
regards to who should learn cooking skills reflects
a gender-stereotyped perception of cooking as
a womans responsibility. This finding partially
supports Lyon et al.s (2003) view that learning
to cook at school is often dismissed as irrelevant
by girls wishing to resist traditional gender
destinies, and by boys continued endorsement of
the gender-related character even when cooking
class is a timetable requirement. The findings
that more than 50% of respondents acquired
cooking knowledge from their mothers, and
that mothers decided the choice of dishes and
ingredients for family meals suggested that more
mothers were in charge of the home cooking.
This agrees with Lang and Carahers view that
mothers still assume the greater burden for
cooking and household chores (Lang & Caraher,
2001; Caraher et al., 2004).
Echoing the findings from a recent Australian
survey that revealed that family-prepared meals
and eating with the family still feature as an
important part of the weekly routine (Foodbiz,
2004), the results of the present study indicated
that the family was the key meal provider.
Eating out was only occasionally practised in
this sample. In addition, approximately 50% of
the sample helped their parents shop for food
and cook family meals, and family members
tastes and preferences were considered prime
factors with regards to choice of ingredients and
cooking methods. These circumstances suggest
that home cooking practices still exist in many
of the families in Hong Kong. Since the majority
of this sample considered meals prepared at
home with fresh ingredients to be healthier than
meals eaten out; and claimed that their family
meals were primarily prepared with fresh food
ingredients, most of which were purchased from
the fresh food market, the home may be an ideal
place for reinforcing nutrition education and
cooking skills.
As discussed elsewhere, one of the reasons for
the degeneration of cooking skills among young
people in countries such as Britain is the lack
of cooking in the home with the result that
young people lack a role model (Caraher et
al., 1999). Owing to increased labour market
participation and work role time-constraints,
interaction between children and mothers may
not ensure transmission of cooking competence
even when mothers have good skills (Lyon et al.,
2003). The findings of the present study suggest
that many young people in Hong Kong have a
role model in the home, in which family meals
are prepared with fresh ingredients. However, not
many of them have the opportunity to cook with
their parents, despite the fact that most of them
enjoyed these occasions. Caraher et al. (1999)
have argued that in British families the mother, as
the primary source of trans-generational transfer
of skills, is under pressure due to the increasing
demands placed on her. The present results
suggest that similar pressures may affect mothers
in Hong Kong. They are too busy and they
are too tired were two major reasons among
those provided by the students for not being
able to cook with their parents. In general, more
A study of perceptions of food preparation skills in Hong Kong adolescents
Table 6. Decision makers for choice of dishes and ingredients for family meals
Who make
decision on: Father Mother Grand Myself All family Domestic
Parents members helper
n= 582 Count (%)
Choice of dishes
for family meals 42 (7) 340 (59) 38 (7) 43 (7) 108 (18) 13 (2)
Choice of ingredients
for family meals 58 (10) 370 (64) 32 (5) 17 (3) 92 (16) 1 (2)
Table 5. Subjects perceptions of the health status of different origin of meals
Which type of the following meal do you think is healthier?
Please list 1,2,3 in order
Different origin of meals % % %
1st 2nd 3rd
Meals prepared at home using
fresh ingredients 96 2 2
Meals eaten out 3 43 53
Meals prepared at home using
processed/convenience food 1 55 45
n= 580



Interviewees perception can represent they are highly prefer the meal which cooks at home
by using fresh ingredients. The worst thing is they think that the convenience and processed
food is unhealthy. Because of this reason, they will prefer to cook at home. And it is quite
difficult for people who are lack of the ability to flavoring and did not cook very often.
21


Table 2

Table 1: Summary of Key Statistics

1996 2001 2006 2011
Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male
Demographic characteristics
Population 3 215 500 3 220 000 3 432 300 3 282 000 3 587 000 3 270 100 3 768 600 3 303 000

Sex ratio

1 001 956 912 876
Number of live births 30 627 32 664 23 059 25 160 31 031 34 595 44 139
#
51 279
#

Expectation of life at birth
(years)
82.7 76.7 84.6 78.4 85.5 79.4 86.7
#
80.5
#

Sex specific mortality rate
4.4 5.7 4.2 5.8 4.6 6.4

5.0 7.1


Marriage, fertility and family conditions
Marital status
Now married (%) 58.7 62.1 57.5 61.6 55.8 61.1 55.4 60.6
Never married (%) 29.1 34.4 29.5 34.3 30.3 34.6 30.1 34.5
Widowed and divorced/
separated (%)
12.2 3.5 13.0 4.1 13.8 4.3 14.5 4.9
Crude marriage rate 11.0 11.0 9.5 9.9 14.0 15.4 15.5 17.6
Number of persons living alone 103 938 172 968 127 001 162 031 182 648 185 005 209 027 195 061
Number of single parents 30 409 11 907 47 215 14 216 60 675 15 748 64 040 17 665

Education and training characteristics
Proportion of population aged 15
and over having attended
secondary education and above
(%)
62.9 70.6 67.7 75.0 72.0 79.4 75.8 82.3
Students enrolled in programmes
funded by the University Grants
Committee (% distribution by
sex)
@

50.1 49.9 54.4 45.6 54.1 45.9 53.2 46.8
Number of teachers
@
37 795 20 794 43 273 21 643 46 988 22 456 48 452
#
23 237
#


Number of graduates of
retraining programmes
@

44 188 11 180 67 111 25 359 65 497 18 371 73 303
#
22 049
#

Number of graduates of
Vocational Training Council
@

7 170 15 201 6 937 13 543 7 210 14 201 + +

Labour force characteristics
Labour force 1 236 100 1 924 700 1 463 800 1 963 500 1 621 200 1 950 600 1 760 400 1 942 700
Labour force participation rate
(%)
47.8 75.7 50.8 73.0 52.6 70.9 53.0 68.4
Number of employed persons
Employers 21 400 148 200 27 500 138 000 28 700 122 100 27 700 96 100
Employees 1 147 200 1 594 300 1 326 200 1 539 000 1 458 000 1 527 500 1 612 900 1 601 700
Self-employed 22 000 121 500 36 700 166 100 55 500 188 000 57 600 165 100
Unpaid family workers 16 700 2 000 16 900 2 500 18 200 2 800 12 900 2 300
Number of underemployed
persons
10 500 41 500 24 600 60 200 26 200 60 000 19 400 43 900
Underemployment rate (%) 0.8 2.2 1.7 3.1 1.6 3.1 1.1 2.3
Number of unemployed persons 28 700 58 700 56 500 117 800 60 800 110 200 49 200 77 500
Unemployment rate (%) 2.3 3.1 3.9 6.0 3.8 5.7 2.8 4.0
Median duration of
unemployment (days)
71 73 74 76 70 77 71 77

Median monthly employment earnings (HK$)
Including foreign domestic
helpers
8,000 10,000 8,800 12,000 8,000 11,500 9,300 13,000
Excluding foreign domestic
helpers
- - 10,000 12,000 9,300 11,500 11,000 13,000

Social welfare
Number of recipients of
Comprehensive Social Security
Assistance
110 244 113 140 206 791 190 677 272 999 248 612 231 617 211 705
Number of persons receiving
Social Security Allowance
282 426 224 411 307 834 251 565 318 106 262 734 356 573 302 065


22


Table 1: Summary of Key Statistics (Contd)

1996 2001 2006 2011
Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male
Medical and health
Number of patients discharged
from Hospital Authority
Hospitals (in-patient services)
- - 329 621 277 337 308 725 266 023 371 243
#
310 879
#

Number of specialist out-patient
attendances (psychiatric
specialty) of Hospital Authority
Hospitals
- - 282 792 217 563 355 578 254 014
440 371
#


309 494
#


Crime and justice
Number of persons arrested for
crime
8 293 38 864 9 052 29 777 10 582 31 646 10 647 27 680
Number of reported drug abusers 2 433 17 240 2 873 15 640 2 546 10 706 2 131 9 338

Pattern of participation in public affairs
Number of directorate officers in
the civil service
208 1 147 297 992 330 853 414 843
Number of non-official members
serving on public sector
advisory and statutory bodies
- - 1 147 4 792 967 3 176 1 327 3 731

Living arrangement
*

Population by living arrangement
Living alone 100 865 168 971 127 001 162 031 182 648 185 005 209 027 195 061
Living with parent(s) only 1 096 116 1 293 771 1 158 127 1 340 354 1 134 573 1 254 388 1 128 557 1 233 632
Living with spouse and/or
child(ren)
~

1 615 532 1 440 964 1 751 295 1 574 050 1 843 188 1 589 196 1 952 567 1 671 748
Others^ 258 837 163 372 302 665 123 674 327 935 119 976 386 927 114 140

Geographical distribution
Population by area
Hong Kong Island 677 223 635 414 703 615 631 854 684 110 584 002 685 784 585 092
Kowloon 984 639 1 003 357 1 025 225 998 754 1 058 915 960 618 1 124 996 983 423
New Territories 1 443 763 1 462 970 1 692 388 1 650 658 1 847 036 1 726 599 1 957 314 1 733 779
Marine 3 824 6 366 1 817 4 078 1 329 1 737 467 721

Traffic and transport
Main mode of transport to place
of work

Bus (%) - - 39.9 40.4 35.2 36.1 31.4 33.4
Mass Transit Railway
(Local line) (%)
- - 18.1 17.6 22.0 20.7 24.6 23.6
On foot only (%) - - 14.5 10.2 12.8 9.6 10.8 7.7
Public light bus (%) - - 8.9 7.6 9.0 8.0 8.4 6.6



Notes: * Figures exclude persons living in non-domestic households and student dormitories. There were 79 128,
169 192, 277 437 and 179 917 persons living in non-domestic households and student dormitories in 1996, 2001,
2006 and 2011 respectively.
~ Figures include persons living with spouse and/or child(ren), regardless of whether they were living with
parent(s) or not.
^ Figures include persons living with person(s) other than parent(s), spouse and child(ren).
@ Figures are for the corresponding school year. For example, figures for 2011 represent the figures for the school
year 2011/12.
Figures include teachers of kindergartens, primary day schools, secondary day schools, approved post-secondary
colleges and University Grants Committee funded institutions.
# Provisional figures
+ Not yet available
- Not available



23


Journal 2

32
Journal of the HEIA Vol. 9, No. 1, 2002
not shop for food and cook as it is just as
convenient to eat in a restaurant at a low
price.
Parental influence
With an emergence of obesity among
adolescents in Hong Kong, consultant
paediatrician Dr. Robert Yuen claimed that
parents should bear the responsibility since
children do not have the money to eat at
McDonalds by themselves (Sunday
Morning Post, 1996). Very often, parents
and grandparents use too many high-fat
snacks as treats for good behaviour such as
getting an A in a test or finishing
homework quickly. Findings in a study on
the factors affecting food choices of
working mothers conducted in the US
revealed that many of the working mothers
used food to compensate their guilt
feelings. They gave sweets to their children
to make up for their going out too often
(Kirk & Gillespie, 1990).
Dietician Sidney Leung disagrees with the
popular belief that Western food is to blame
for the growing girths of Hong Kong
children. According to feedback from her
patients, it was observed that although
children often visit McDonalds at the
weekend or in-between meals, the food at
home is just as bad. Many Chinese people
like to cook with plenty of oil because
greasy food gives good mouth-feel. So
Chinese dishes in some families meals are
often deep-fried or stir-fried in greasy
sauces. Dieticians find it particularly difficult
to convince parents that too much fat is a
bad thing (Sunday Morning Post, 1996).
Apart from that, many parents do not know
how much meat their children should eat.
Since meat was precious when they were
young, they think it is good for their
children and let them take plenty of meat
but very little vegetables. Moreover, some
elderly Chinese see fat as healthy. They
believe that being big and Buddha-like
shows your wealth and symbolises
prosperity. As a result, as suggested by
findings of research conducted by Dr.
Sophie Leung (Jones, 1994), many children
in Hong Kong are over-nourished.
Course physiotherapist Rebecca Wong also
cites parents as the key factor to blame for
the lack of exercise among children.
Children are too well-protected. Some
children are so spoilt that they do not even
know how to tie their shoelace or put on
their clothes (Sunday Morning Post, 1996).
Apart from that, parental pressure to
succeed at school also stops children from
getting sufficient exercise. In traditional
Chinese beliefs, intellectual ability is seen as
more important than sporting achievement.
Some parents think that studying is most
important, so they do not let their children
spend time exercising. Other parents think
that going out to play is dangerous.
A study by the American Heart Association
suggested that the eating habits of parents
may play an important role in the
development of obesity in children
(American Heart Association, 2000).
Researchers said children often do what
they see their parents do, rather than listen
to what their parents say. As a result,
parents are often unaware that they are
passing on their own dietary habits and
attitudes to their children.
Implications of the changes
in food habits
Health implications
Today the Territory is embracing the fast-
food fad. Typical fast-foods like burgers,
chips and cola drinks tend to be high in fat,
sodium and sugar, and low in other
essential nutrients like dietary fibre.
Coupled with speedy service and quick
seating, fast food promotes fast eating.
Eating too much too quickly leads to over
consumption. The National Health and
Medical Research Council recommends a
maximum sodium intake of 2300 milligrams
per day, yet eating some types of fast food
gives over half the recommended daily
intake in one meal (Nutrition for Life, 1990).
Research findings also indicate that Hong
Kongs fat consumption had doubled in just
two generations (Jones, 1994).
Nowadays, many of the worlds biggest
killers - from heart disease to cancers - are
known to be caused by a poor diet. Hong
Kongs diet in the past twenty years has led
to a massive increase in coronary heart
disease, as well as other diet-related
diseases. Poor standards of sanitation and
hygiene, which may be a result of eating
out of home, have also led to high levels of
gastric disorders and, more seriously,
incidents of hepatitis A. People in the
medical profession have claimed that there
was evidence to link these diseases with the
High-fat snacks as
treats for good
behaviour such
as getting an
A in a test.

24
Chinese tradition dishes are oily and deep-fried. It is no a health diet. Younger generation
starts to concern about the flavoring of the food that cooked at home.

34
Journal of the HEIA Vol. 9, No. 1, 2002
about by their condition. Although people
with a family history of diabetes are most at
risk, Dr. Cockram from the Prince of Wales
Hospital stressed that the most significant
cause of diabetes is weight gain and lack of
exercise (Learning for Life, 1993).
Unfortunately, it seems that the Chinese
need only be slightly overweight to become
prone to diabetes, which commonly begins
between the ages of twenty and thirty. Dr.
Karen Lam of the Hong Kong Universitys
Department of Medicine believes that a diet
with high calorific intake and a lifestyle
with insufficient levels of exercise are to
blame (Jones, 1994).
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is transmitted by the faecal-oral
route through contaminated water, shellfish
and other food. Seafood has been very
popular in Hong Kong, and is available in
all Chinese and Thai restaurants, and Dai
Pai Dongs. Japanese sashimi (raw fish) has
also become very trendy in recent years.
Some restaurants selling these foods may
not meet the required standard of sanitation
and hygiene, especially Dai Pai Dongs
where the environment is usually
unhygienic.
Effects on the health of young
people and children
Trendy eating habits have other significant
effects on the health of young people. In a
survey conducted in 1995 on the eating
arrangements for students, about one
quarter of the respondents (1,398) did not
take any breakfast because they did not
have time or they were not in the habit of
eating breakfast (Wong, et al., 1996).
Dieticians say there is strong evidence to
suggest a link between food allergies and
hyperactivity among children.
It has been suggested by some researchers
that a diet low in carbohydrates - potatoes,
rice, pasta, cereals and bread - may lead to
depression (Jones, 1994). No research has
yet been conducted in Hong Kong, but the
dietary factor should perhaps not be ruled
out when considering the Territorys rising
rate of youth suicides, since teenagers are
the biggest consumers of western-style
foodstuffs.
Social implications
The transference of family food
traditions
Chinese traditions related to food and
eating are acquired from the elderly. For
instance, it is a Chinese tradition passed
from elderly women to younger women to
serve ginger-vinegar-egg with pigs leg to
postpartum women. It is served every day
to the new mother for at least one month.
Though it is a traditional practice, there is
scientific basis behind the practice. The
combination of vinegar and many hours of
prolonged cooking release the maximum
calcium from the eggshell and the bones.
As cooking at home is becoming less
frequent and the younger generations are
not acquiring as many cooking skills as
their elderly, there is a risk that such food
traditions will be lost.
Meal preparation time and meal time used
to be a precious moment when family
members came together to share their joy
and tears after a days school and work.
With the current eating pattern, where time
in preparing meals is reduced, and meals
for each family member are not necessarily
served at the same time, and on the same
site, opportunities for such interaction are
reduced. Research findings also indicate
that working mothers experience guilt
feelings when they cannot spend much
time at family meals. They viewed food as
a vehicle for bringing family members
together, for fostering relationships, and for
giving meaning to life (Kirk & Gillespie,
1990).
The transference of domestic food
preparation skills
With more foods being eaten away from
home and a wider use of convenience food,
domestic food preparation skills are
becoming less relevant in Hong Kong. This
may imply that in the future children will be
less involved in food preparation. Findings
of a survey conducted by Stanton in 1993
reveal that eighty per cent of Australians
aged 1830 years do not know how to cook
a potato (Wingett, 1996). In the future,
cookery in the home may become a
hobby. There is a risk that lack of skills in
food preparation may threaten the health of
the individual and the family.
Recommendations
In order that sensible eating habits be
developed for the wellbeing of individuals
Chinese need only
be slightly
overweight to
become prone
to diabetes.

25

26


Table 2

27
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Page 1 of 2 http://www.chp.gov.hk/en/printpage.html

Death Rates by Leading Causes of Death, 2001 - 2012
(Number of Deaths per 100000 Population)
Classification of diseases and causes of death is based on the International Statistical
Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) 10th Revision from 2001
onwards. The disease groups for the purpose of ranking causes of death have also been
redefined based on the ICD 10th Revision, and new disease groups have been added. Figures
from 2001 onwards may not be comparable with figures for previous years which were
compiled based on the ICD 9th Revision. Therefore, figures before 2001 have been put down in
a separate table.
Death rates by leading causes of death (based on ICD 10th Revision) : 2001 - 2012
List of ranking is based on the number of deaths in 2011.
Cause of
Death
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012*
1. Malignant
neoplasms
(ICD10: C00-
C97)
169.9 172.9 171.0 173.8 180.7 176.4 178.1 179.0 184.1 186.2 187.2 184.4
2. Diseases of
heart (ICD10:
I00-I09, I11, I13,
I20-I51)
70.0 73.7 78.9 86.5 86.1 81.9 92.1 97.4 92.0 94.5 89.6 87.4
3. Pneumonia
(ICD10: J12-
J18)
45.1 47.4 57.6 54.2 63.0 61.3 72.0 78.8 76.2 82.8 87.8 96.0
4.
Cerebrovascular
diseases
(ICD10: I60-I69)
46.6 47.7 51.4 50.4 50.4 48.2 50.8 53.0 49.4 48.7 47.2 45.4
5. Chronic lower
respiratory
diseases
(ICD10: J40-
J47)
31.5 30.8 31.2 31.3 33.2 28.1 30.3 30.2 27.4 29.8 27.8 27.7
6. External
causes of
morbidity and
mortality

(ICD10: V01-
Y89)
27.5 30.7 30.4 33.1 31.6 28.6 26.8 25.4 27.8 26.5 22.2 22.1
7. Nephritis,
nephrotic
syndrome and
nephrosis
(ICD10: N00-
N07, N17-N19,
N25-N27)
15.7 15.6 17.6 17.4 18.5 18.8 19.5 20.4 20.8 21.3 21.8 22.6
8. Septicaemia
(ICD10: A40-
6.3 6.9 8.5 9.1 10.3 9.9 10.7 11.5 10.6 11.8 10.8 11.5


28
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Page 2 of 2 http://www.chp.gov.hk/en/printpage.html
A41)
9. Dementia
(ICD10: F01-
F03)
3.8 4.3 3.8 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.6 7.1 9.1 10.9 10.6 12.5
10. Diabetes
mellitus (ICD10:
E10-E14)
10.1 8.5 11.6 10.7 8.8 7.5 7.3 7.9 7.1 7.4 6.5 5.5
All other causes 69.7 70.4 79.1 79.7 81.0 81.0 85.7 86.1 84.3 88.1 85.0 95.3
All causes 496.0 508.8 541.1 550.2 567.8 545.6 577.8 596.9 588.7 607.9 596.6 610.4
As death rates of most diseases are strongly age-dependent, with risk rising with age, direct
comparison of crude death rates over time may be very misleading if the underlying age
composition of the population being compared has also changed. Hence, age-standardised
death rates of leading causes of death, which remove the impact of the change in age
composition, are also presented in the linked table for intertemporal comparison.
Age-standardised Death rates for leading causes of death (based on ICD 10th Revision) : 2001 -
2012
Notes:
The mortality figures in this table are based on number of "registered" deaths.
The disease codes according to the classification are shown in brackets.
Figures may not add up to total due to rounding.
* Provisional figures.
According to the ICD 10th Revision, when the morbid condition is classifiable under Chapter
XIX as "injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes", the codes under
Chapter XX for "external causes of morbidity and mortality" should be used as the primary
cause of death.


2008 | Important Notices | Privacy Policy Last revision date: 2013/03/14


There are 87.4 thousands people death for heart disease, people in Hong Kong do not have a
healthy lifestyles. And they always eat out causes the fat stuffs in their blood vessel.
29


Table 3

30

31


32

Chart 1


!

! !!!

Chart 3 Household Expenditure Shares by Commodity/Service Section by Type of Housing





FD8 Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics August 2011



Household expenditure patterns by household size
4.11

4.11 While total household expenditure generally
increased as household size increased, the average
amount of spending per person generally decreased as
household size increased. This was observed for the
overall expenditure as well as expenditure on various
commodity/service sections. The extent of decrease
in per capita spending as household size increased
differed across sections. Such phenomenon could
partly be explained by the different extents of
economy of scale in the consumption of different
commodities/services as household size increased.
(Table 3)






Others



Miscellaneous
services



Transport





Housing


()

Food (excluding meals bought
way from home) a


100

80

60

40

20

0

15%
(4,359)

17%
(4,793)

9%
(2,442)


37%
(10,647)



8%
(2,234)
15%
(4,241)

15%
(2,912)

14%
(2,617)

7%
(1,397)


34%
(6,529)



12%
(2,247)


19%
(3,585)


20%
(2,117)


15%
(1,609)

8%
(897)
11%
(1,160)


19%
(1,985)



27%
(2,801)

%
Meals bought away from home




Public housing

S

ubsidised housing

Private housing







Average monthly
household expenditure
$10,569 $19,288 $28,715




There are about 20 percent of the monthly incomes spent on eating out no matter they are in
which housing types.