A newly released study showed that Hong Kong's teenagers are facing increasing risks of stroke later in life and a worrying trend of secondary school students not exercising regularly or consuming enough fruits and vegetables.
The study, conducted by a non-profit organization, the Hong Kong Stroke Fund, between September and October, found 28 percent of the students did not have a habit of eating fruits every day.
Released on Sunday, the World Stroke Day, the study show that among all 12,405 surveyed secondary school students, 56 percent have diets where vegetables formed no more than a third of their intake, while 4 percent completely left out the greens from their daily meals.
About 38 percent exercised less than one hour each week, and another 42 percent exercised only two to three hours weekly. But 62 percent said they had a habit of snacking.
"The results are worrying," said president of the fund Dr. Dawson Fong To-sang who is a neurosurgery specialist.
Not eating enough vegetables and fruits, constantly snacking and having very little exercise could lead to high blood pressure as well as high blood sugar and fat, which were all known risk factors of stroke, Fong said.
According to government statistics, stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in Hong Kong, with 3,500 people killed by the disease every year.
