93% of children in Hong Kong subdivided flats have spine issues: survey

Children not having proper desks to do homework is the main reason for problems, Society for Community Organisation says

Reading Time:2 minutes

In cramped conditions, children in subdivided flats have nowhere to put a desk. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 9:34pm, 17 Nov 2024

More than 90 per cent of children who live in Hong Kong’s notorious subdivided flats show signs of spinal issues as a result of the cramped conditions, a survey has found, sparking calls from a concern group for families with youngsters to be given priority for public housing.

The culprit was that children did not have proper desks and had to do homework on makeshift surfaces such as beds and chairs, the Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) said on Sunday.

“The government should consider introducing a system for extra points for families with children, not just newborns, whether it is for transitional housing, light public housing or public housing,” SoCO deputy director Sze Lai-shan said.

“We feel it should apply to those aged 12 or below. If that could be extended to 18 or under, that would be even better.”

She said existing services, such as schools allowing students to stay behind to do homework, as well as community living rooms, were far from enough in meeting the actual needs of 50,000 children living in subdivided flats.

The survey was conducted between September and November, and polled 503 children aged between seven and 18 from low-income families, with spinal checks on 234 of them. More than 80 per cent of them lived with their families in subdivided flats of about 140 sq ft.

The spinal checks found that 44.4 per cent of the children had uneven shoulders, 75.2 per cent failed a cervical inclination angle test, 42.3 per cent failed a pelvic inclination angle test, and 5.6 per cent were suspected to have scoliosis.