14
TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 1993
STATISTICAL PROFILE ON YOUTHS RELEASED
YOUTH POPULATION IN HONG KONG FELL FROM 1.45 MILLION IN 1986 TO 1.25 MILLION IN 1991 WHILE THE TOTAL POPULATION IN THE TERRITORY HAD INCREASED OVER THE SAME PERIOD.
THE DOWNWARD TREND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE, ACCORDING TO THE CURRENT EDITION OF "YOUTH IN HONG KONG A STATISTICAL PROFILE 1992" COMPILED BY THE COMMISSION ON YOUTH.
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THE FINDINGS OF THE STATISTICAL PROFILE WAS ANNOUNCED BY THE CONVENOR OF THE WORKING GROUP ON THE UPDATING OF THE "YOUTH IN HONG KONG
A STATISTICAL PROFILE 1988", MR MAK HOI-WAR AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY (TUESDAY).
SURVEYS
MR MAK SAID THE PUBLICATION INCLUDED A NUMBER OF MAJOR CONDUCTED BY VARIOUS ORGANISATIONS AS WELL AS DATA FROM THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
THE STATISTICAL PROFILE 1992 SHOWED THAT THERE MORE MEN THAN WOMEN IN 1991, BUT THE GAP IN NUMBER IS THAT IN 1986.
ARE SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN
"IT IS ALSO WORTH TO NOTE THAT THE TREND OF LATE MARRIAGE CONTINUES, MR MAK ADDED.
"I
STATISTICS ALSO SHOWED THAT THE YOUTH POPULATION WAS GENERALLY IN GOOD HEALTH.
ACCORDING TO A SURVEY IN 1990, YOUNG PEOPLE HAD A LOWER MEDICAL CONSULTATION RATE THAN PEOPLE IN OTHER AGE GROUPS.
HOWEVER, MR MAK POINTED OUT THAT A STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE HONG KONG COUNCIL ON SMOKING AND HEALTH IN 1990 INDICATED THAT NEARLY HALF OF ALL YOUNG MEN AND ONE THIRD OF WOMEN HAVE TRIED SMOKING BY THE AGE OF 16.
THERE WAS AN INCREASE OF 14.8 PER CENT OF NEWLY REPORTED DRUG ABUSERS UNDER THE AGE OF 21 WHEN COMPARED WITH 1990.
HE SAID: "THE MOST COMMON AGE GROUP FOR INITIAL DRUG ABUSE REMAINED BETWEEN THE AGE OF 15 AND 24.
HEROIN,
CANNABIS AND COUGH MEDICINE ARE THE MOST COMMON DRUGS USED. ABUSE OF COUGH MEDICINE BY NEWLY REPORTED DRUG ABUSERS HAS GROWN FROM FIVE PER CENT IN 1988 TO 22.7 PER CENT IN 1991.
AS ΤΟ THE NUMBER OF SUICIDE ATTEMPTS BY SCHOOL CHILDREN REPORTED то THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, MR MAK SAID THE FIGURE HAD REMAINED STABLE FROM 1987 TO 1991 WITH AN INCREASE RECORDED IN 1992.
NUMBER OF ATTEMPTS ROSE TO 67 IN 1992 AMONG WHICH THERE WERE 21 CASES OF FATALITIES.
/MR MAK