Media

Hong Kong’s first psycho-social intervention programme for children with Eczema and parents - result announcement and second phase commencement

20 Apr 2018

Eczema is the most common paediatric skin disease prevalent in 15 to 20% of children globally. It is estimated that more than 160,000, or 30% of the children in Hong Kong aged between 0 and 14 are affected.

Eczema is considered a chronic skin disease. Its impact is long-term and multi-dimensional, affecting child development, parents’ well-being and parent-child relationship. However, the psychosocial impacts and associated needs are often underestimated by society.

In 2017, Dr Celia Hoi Yan’s research team at the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong (HKU) initiated the first non-pharmaceutical parallel group intervention programme for parent caregivers and their children with eczema in Hong Kong.

The “Seeing the Invisible” programme aims to enhance the holistic well-being of parent caregivers and the self-esteem, and emotional coping and resilience of children with eczema, and to facilitate better parent-child relationship.

Over 100 caregiver-children pairs completed a 36-hour group intervention workshop in the first phase programme. The findings revealed an encouraging lowering in anxiety levels and improved emotions among children participants, and a significant reduction in perceived stress and afflictive attachment, and improvement in general vitality among parent caregivers.  

Dr Celia Chan will release the detailed research findings at a media conference on April 23 (Monday). Details of a second phase programme to be commenced in June will also be announced. A parent participant of the first phase programme will share experience. Professor Ellis Hon from the Department of Paediatrics of the Chinese University of Hong Kong will attend to share tips in dealing with the myths and ‘mind devil’ related to caregiving on eczema.

The second phase program will target children with eczema and parent caregivers from lower income families. They are considered more vulnerable to be impacted by the chronic disease given their deprived socio-economic conditions.

Details of the media conference:
Date : April 23, 2018 (Monday)
Time : 2:30pm
Venue: Social Sciences Chamber, 11/F, Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU

For media enquiries, please contact Ms. Melanie Wan, Senior Manager (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office, tel: 2859 2600/ email: melwkwan@hku.hk.