The Health Care & Promotion Fund has so far allocated a total of $35 million to support 115 health-promotion projects, Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Dr York Chow says.

The design of the majority of the projects was related to health problems that Hong Kong was facing, including tobacco control, healthy lifestyles, exercise and nutrition, mental health, seniors' health, child and youth health, and women's health.

Officiating at the Health Promotion Project Expo 2006 today, Dr Chow said public health has always been a Government priority and health promotion is a core function of its public health activities.

He hoped people from different sectors and backgrounds could all continue to work together with the common goal to improve our community's health through the Expo.

"In fostering a more healthy community, we need multiple strategies to respond to people's needs," he said.

"These strategies include disseminating knowledge and skills of health promotion; partnering and building alliances among the public, private, non-governmental, academic and professional organisations; building leadership capacity; and investing in sustainable policies and infrastructure to improve health determinants," Dr Chow said.

8 outstanding projects win awards

Awards were presented to eight outstanding projects at the expo. These included:

* a pioneering telephone hotline to help people quit smoking;

* development of a simplified and widely adopted version of tai chi exercise to promote physical and psychological health for the elderly; and

* a highly engaging campaign to promote sexual and reproductive health in the community.

Outstanding health promotion projects the fund supports were displayed at the Expo, in which leaders in the health-promotion field shared experiences and the latest knowledge.