A total of 4,746 Hong Kong students, aged 14-15, participated in the 2000-2001 Health Related Behavior Survey. Results produced by the logistic regression models revealed that non-private housing was significantly associated with ever-use of ecstasy in boys. Moreover, girls in non-private housing were significantly more likely to have been persuaded to use ecstasy, ketamine, and marijuana, as well as to have ever used ecstasy. Furthermore, having older siblings was significantly associated with ever-use of ecstasy in girls. These findings suggest that low family affluence and having older siblings may contribute to exposure to illicit drugs in early adolescence.
[Copyright of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1067828X.2012.709455]

This paper examines the potential of using Web-based technologies in cross- curricular education and iden1fies the need for a locally based site for teaching and learning. In addition, ii also gives an analysis of a local research project called "Project Crucial", which is developed by the present authors, and discusses the use of Information Technology (IT) to turn schools from "content factories" to higher academic learning and communication centers.

Background: This study was designed to investigate the relation between health-related physical fitness and weight status in Hong Kong adolescents. Methods: 3,204 students aged 12-18 years participated in the Hong Kong Student Obesity Surveillance (HKSOS) project in 2006-2007. Anthropometric measures (height, weight) and health-related fitness (push-up, sit-up, sit-andreach, 9-minute run) were assessed. Body mass index (BMI) was computed to classify participants into normal weight, underweight (Grade I, II/III), overweight, and obese groups. The associations of health-related physical fitness with BMI and weight status were examined by partial correlation coefficients and analysis of covariance, respectively. Results: More boys than girls were overweight or obese (18.0% vs 8.7%), but more girls than boys were underweight (22.3% vs 16.7%). Boys performed significantly (P < 0.001) better in sit-up (38.8 vs 31.6 times/min) and 9-minute run (1632.1 vs 1353.2 m), but poorer in sit-and-reach (27.4 vs 32.2 cm) than girls. All four physical fitness tests were significantly positively correlated with each other in both sexes, and BMI was only weakly correlated with sit up and sit-and-reach tests in boys. Decreasing performance (P for trend < 0.05) was observed from normal weight to overweight and obese for push-up, sit-up, and 9-minute run in both sexes. From normal weight to Grade I and Grade II/III underweight, decreasing performance (P for trend < 0.05) for sit-up and sit-and-reach in both sexes and for push-up in boys was observed. Conclusions: The relations between BMI and health-related physical fitness in adolescents were non-linear. Overweight/obese and underweight adolescents had poorer performance in push-up and sit-up tests than normal weight adolescents. Different aspects of health-related physical fitness may serve as immediate indicators of potential health risks for underweight and overweight adolescents.
[Copyright of BMC Public Health is the property of