bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      name
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sections {
    value {
      relatedNewsletters {
        ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
        id
      }
      id
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on Section {
  name
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_image_posties_article", "og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Article {
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


sections

types

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

entityUuid

Ngo Chong Wah

Hong Kong people’s life expectancy has gradually increased. By 2030, one in every four Hongkongers is expected to be aged 65 or over. As the elderly are more susceptible to chronic diseases, one immediate question is how the public health system, which is already suffering from space and manpower shortages, can keep up with the change.
In view of this, the city needs more and better health promotion schemes to combat the rise of chronic diseases. Can AI play a part?
Many factors affect health, including diet, exercise, emotions, sleep pattern, genes and the environment. In the case of chronic diseases, which tend to develop over many years, medical evidence shows that a healthy lifestyle is important. Furthermore, rather than resort to medication, lifestyle modification has been shown to be effective in curing some diseases at the early stages of development.
But our busy working life, high study pressures and various distractions make lifestyle management a challenge in Hong Kong. For example, how many Hongkongers actually pay attention to the food pyramid recommended by the Centre of Health Protection? Even if we do, how should we measure and assess whether our food consumption meets the recommendations?

Why not let artificial intelligence do it for us? If we take a photo of our meals every day on our smartphone, a simple app that maps the food to nutritional facts can tell us how far we are from meeting the recommended food intake. If we do this for months and years, AI, using a simple maths equation, can even calculate an individual health index in terms of food consumption.
Smart sensors are prevalent today, used in mobile phones and watches to count our steps, monitor our heart rate and blood pressure, and measure sleep patterns and glucose levels. AI can also look at what we post in WhatsApp and monitor our Facebook social circles to keep track of our behaviour and state of mind.
The delivery of health advice has to be personalised or it’s unlikely to be followed
If all these signals collected from the sensors are integrated for AI analysis, it might be possible to predict the diseases that are likely to develop. Then, we need another app to optimise our lifestyle, for example, by guiding us on how to pick meals and how long to exercise for. Problem solved, right?
Let’s go back to reality. I recall my mother reminding me in my childhood to eat more fruit and vegetables, my teacher reminding me the importance of having a dental check every six months … and so on. How much of this advice did I follow? If we don’t heed our mothers and teachers, would we listen to the instructions of an AI app to log data and follow the recommendations?

The point is, AI won’t work if we don’t take into account human nature. There are numerous health apps on the market today. For example, there’s a food app that sends multiple messages in a day to remind users about the need to log their food choices. These messages are often disturbing rather than friendly. AI is supposed to be intelligent, but a one-size-fits-all strategy is usually adopted for such messaging.
The delivery of health advice has to be personalised or it’s unlikely to be followed. Thus, AI must not only act intelligently, but also be “humanised”.
We’ve come a long way in the use of AI to improve human health. Every signal collected, either from smart sensors or social media, provides a clue about how to piece together the puzzle of a person – to a degree never before possible.
The problem is, based on current technologies, these signals are noisy and even inaccurate. For example, how accurate is the heart rate sequence processed by a smartphone compared to one using a traditional medical device? Even if the data is 80 per cent accurate, do you trust an AI recommendation made from learning algorithms?
Health care app aims to lower treatment costs in Greater Bay Area
To answer these questions, collaboration is needed among the Hospital Authority, doctors, dietitians and AI researchers. The bottom line is, we cannot expect AI to make 100 per cent accurate predictions on its own. How can AI know how much food you consume without putting a sensor in your stomach? Furthermore, not everything you eat will be digested by your body. Even if you were willing to have a sensor inserted inside your body, there’s no such thing available on the market right now.
Therefore, to make AI work to improve public health, user input is vital. Are you willing to spend five minutes logging your every meal for AI analysis? Some of these scenarios are not realistic, especially if we rely on AI to modify our behaviour for it to work.
Nevertheless, if we are willing to work with AI and if the technology is humanised through collaboration with health and medical experts, then an AI-empowered healthy society might not be too far away. It needs doctors, who are already busy, to play a part to verify AI analysis; insurance companies to voluntarily provide incentives to encourage user participation; and the government to take the risk to invest billions of dollars for multidisciplinary R&D collaboration.
Professor Ngo Chong Wah is an executive committee member of the AI Specialist Group in the Hong Kong Computer Society
 


AI can work to improve Hongkongers’ health, but only with a human touch

By 2030, one in every four Hongkongers is expected to be aged 65 or over. As the elderly are more susceptible to chronic diseases, one immediate question is: how can the public health system keep up with the change? Photo: EPA-EFE

***PAY PER USE. Please re-download from vendor website.*** Shutterstock ID 476285125 People wear wearable smart watch together, asian

***PAY PER USE. Please re-download from vendor website.*** shutterstock_16131661.jpg This shutterstock shot of Tasty beefsteak closeup. Young woman eating beefsteak. Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK

Opinion

Comment

Tech

News

Hong Kong

The effectiveness of today’s health apps underscores the limits of using technology alone to modify human behaviour. AI researchers must work with health professionals and others to tailor strategies


The effectiveness of today’s health apps underscores the limits of using technology alone to modify human behaviour. AI researchers must work with health professionals and others to tailor strategies.


Technology

Smartphones

Wellness

Artificial intelligence

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Opinion | AI can work to improve Hongkongers’ health, but only with a human touch

The effectiveness of today’s health apps underscores the limits of using technology alone to modify human behaviour. AI researchers must work with health professionals and others to tailor strategies