B J Cowling
Biographic Data
| ID | 205705 |
|---|---|
| NAME | B J Cowling |
| GIVEN NAMES | B J |
| FAMILY NAME | Cowling |
| SIGNATURE | COWLING B J |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Hong Kong |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6297-7154 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 30 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 24 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 30 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Comparison of excess deaths and laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 deaths during a large Omicron epidemic in 2022 in Hong Kong
Background: Using an elimination strategy, Hong Kong was able to minimise COVID-19 mortality in 2020 and 2021, but a large epidemic caused by the Omicron variant occurred in 2022. We aimed to estimate the overall, age-, sex-, epidemic period- and cause-specific excess mortality in 2022 in Hong Kong and compare excess mortality to laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 mortality. Methods: We used negative binomial regression analysis to model time series o…
Unravelling disparity in age-specific acceptance of Covid-19 vaccination
BACKGROUND: High COVID-19 vaccination uptake rates across all age groups are important for achieving herd immunity. However, age disparity in vaccination acceptance was consistently identified. OBJECTIVE: Taking cues from tenets of socioemotional selectivity theory, this study examined how the contextual and psychosocial factors contributed to age-specific COVID-19 vaccination acceptance. METHOD: = 3527). Participants' vaccination acceptance, tru…
Why Do Chinese Older Adults in Hong Kong Delay or Refuse Covid-19 Vaccination? A Qualitative Study Based on Grounded Theory
Interventions to address vaccine hesitancy in older adults should focus on addressing attitude roots and strengthening the connectivity of older adults with family, doctors, and government to engage older adults in the vaccination decision making. Risk communication should shift to provide more personal relevant information in a caring style, meet older adults' preference for peripheral information processing, and address their existing mispercep…
Respiratory virus shedding in exhaled breath and efficacy of face masks
Rational use of face masks in the Covid-19 pandemic
Mental Health, Risk Factors, and Social Media Use During the Covid-19 Epidemic and Cordon Sanitaire Among the Community and Health Professionals in Wuhan, China
BACKGROUND: The mental health consequences of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, community-wide interventions, and social media use during a pandemic are unclear. The first and most draconian interventions have been implemented in Wuhan, China, and these countermeasures have been increasingly deployed by countries around the world. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine risk factors, including the use of social media, for proba…
Impact assessment of non-pharmaceutical interventions against coronavirus disease 2019 and influenza in Hong Kong
Background A range of public health measures have been implemented to suppress local transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Hong Kong. We examined the effect of these interventions and behavioural changes of the public on the incidence of COVID-19, as well as on influenza virus infections, which might share some aspects of transmission dynamics with COVID-19. Methods We analysed data on laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases, influen…
Estimating clinical severity of Covid-19 from the transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China
Depression and post-traumatic stress during major social unrest in Hong Kong
Temporal dynamics in viral shedding and transmissibility of Covid-19
Nonpharmaceutical Measures for Pandemic Influenza in Nonhealthcare Settings—Social Distancing Measures
Influenza virus infections are believed to spread mostly by close contact in the community. Social distancing measures are essential components of the public health response to influenza pandemics. The objective of these mitigation measures is to reduce transmission, thereby delaying the epidemic peak, reducing the size of the epidemic peak, and spreading cases over a longer time to relieve pressure on the healthcare system. We conducted systemat…
Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia
BACKGROUND: The initial cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)-infected pneumonia (NCIP) occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019 and January 2020. We analyzed data on the first 425 confirmed cases in Wuhan to determine the epidemiologic characteristics of NCIP. METHODS: We collected information on demographic characteristics, exposure history, and illness timelines of laboratory-confirmed cases of NCIP that had been reported by…
A population-based study on healthcare-seeking behaviour of persons with symptoms of respiratory and gastrointestinal-related infections in Hong Kong
Healthcare-seeking behaviour were different by symptoms and age. Characterization of these patterns provides crucial parameters for estimating the full burden of common infectious diseases from facility-based surveillance system, for planning and allocation of healthcare resources
Occupational Stress among Field Epidemiologists in Field Epidemiology Training Programs from the Public Health Sector
Despite the high-demand work environment for field epidemiologists in field epidemiology training programs, little is known about their occupational stress. To identify occupational stress and its related factors, the occupational stress among trainees in field epidemiology training programs in Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regions from 2016 to 2018 was examined using six subscales: Role Overload, Role Insufficiency, Role Ambiguity, Role Bou…
Estimates of global seasonal influenza-associated respiratory mortality
Influenza epidemiology and influenza vaccine effectiveness during the 2014–2015 season
The Global Influenza Hospital Surveillance Network (GIHSN) has established a prospective, active surveillance, hospital-based epidemiological study to collect epidemiological and virological data for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres over several consecutive seasons. It focuses exclusively on severe cases of influenza requiring hospitalization. A standard protocol is shared between sites allowing comparison and pooling of results. During the …
Characterizing Influenza surveillance systems performance
This study shows certain influenza surveillance systems are less correlated with the information environment than others, and therefore, might represent more reliable indicators of disease activity in future outbreaks. Although the patterns identified in this study might change in future outbreaks, the potential susceptibility of surveillance data is likely to persist in the future, and should be considered when interpreting surveillance data
Spatial proximity and childhood hospital admissions in a densely populated conurbation
SP3-47 Spatial proximity and childhood hospital admissions in a densely populated conurbation
Introduction Physical distance is a barrier to hospital utilisation. In a very densely populated city in China, we examined whether use of public hospitals by children was associated with individual-level residential proximity, and whether these associations varied with type of admission. Methods The authors used multivariable negative binomial regression in a large, population-representative birth cohort to examine the adjusted associations of p…
P2-271 Socioeconomic development and sex differences in ischaemic heart disease mortality. An age-period-cohort analysis of the Hong Kong Chinese
Introduction An epidemic of premature ischaemic heart disease (IHD) in men usually emerges with economic development. The Hong Kong Chinese population experienced abrupt macro-environmental change generated by mass migration in the late 1940s from pre-industrial China to economically developing Hong Kong. We took advantage of this natural experiment to test whether a “step-change” in living conditions in early life had sex-specific cohort effects…
P1-515 Patterns of infection-related cancers in a rapidly developed Chinese population. An age-period-cohort analysis
Introduction With economic development, non-communicable diseases replace infectious diseases as the leading cause of death; how such transition occurs for infectious diseases with long latency has rarely been considered. We took advantage of a Chinese population with rapid economic development in the mid-20th century to study changing patterns of infection-related cancers. Methods We used sex-specific Poisson regression to estimate age, period a…
P1-372 An age-period-cohort analysis of mortality associated with bacterial diseases in Hong kong
Introduction We aim to investigate longitudinal trends in bacterial disease related mortality in HK in order to describe how socio-economic transition affects mortality due to infections and to provide generalised aetiological insights. We use one of the major bacterial disease related death, septicaemia, as an exemplar. Methods We used local data on mortality due to septicaemia and mid-year population figures (1976–2005). We fitted Poisson age-p…
Community Psychological and Behavioral Responses through the First Wave of the 2009 Influenza A(H1N1) Pandemic in Hong Kong
BACKGROUND: Little is known about the community psychological and behavioral responses to influenza pandemics. METHODS: Using random digit dialing, we sampled 12,965 Hong Kong residents in 13 cross-sectional telephone surveys between April and November 2009, covering the entire first wave of the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic. We examined trends in anxiety, risk perception, knowledge on modes of transmission, and preventive behaviors. RESULTS: R…
Estimated birth weight and adult cardiovascular risk factors in a developing southern Chinese population
Birth weight may impact blood pressure; however associations of birth weight with other cardiovascular risk factors may not be related to foetal exposures, but speculatively could be an historical co-incidence, with corresponding implications for prevention
Understanding sociohistorical imprint on cancer risk by age–period–cohort decomposition in Hong Kong
BACKGROUND: Research on trends in cancer incidence has usually examined single sites in populations that long ago completed the economic transition. The trends in 11 cancers in three groups in the recently transitioned Hong Kong Chinese population were examined to delineate the effects of economic transition and provide generalised aetiological insights. METHODS: Sex-specific Poisson models were fitted to cancer incidence in Hong Kong (1974-2003)…
A multilevel analysis of the effects of neighbourhood income inequality on individual self-rated health in Hong Kong
Is leg length a biomarker of childhood conditions in older Chinese women? The Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study
OBJECTIVE: In developed western populations longer legs have been shown to be a biomarker of better early childhood conditions. It was hypothesised that in transitioning populations better childhood conditions may bring forward puberty and thus decrease leg length, counteracting the overall positive effect of a favourable childhood environment on leg growth. DESIGN: Structural equation modelling was used to assess the interrelationship of age, ed…
Understanding sociohistorical imprint on cancer risk by age–period–cohort decomposition in Hong Kong
BACKGROUND: Research on trends in cancer incidence has usually examined single sites in populations that long ago completed the economic transition. The trends in 11 cancers in three groups in the recently transitioned Hong Kong Chinese population were examined to delineate the effects of economic transition and provide generalised aetiological insights. METHODS: Sex-specific Poisson models were fitted to cancer incidence in Hong Kong (1974-2003)…
Smoking, quitting and mortality in an elderly cohort of 56 000 Hong Kong Chinese
In old age, smoking continues to be a major cause of death, and quitting is beneficial. Smoking cessation is urgently needed in rapidly ageing populations in the East
Is leg length a biomarker of childhood conditions in older Chinese women? The Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study
OBJECTIVE: In developed western populations longer legs have been shown to be a biomarker of better early childhood conditions. It was hypothesised that in transitioning populations better childhood conditions may bring forward puberty and thus decrease leg length, counteracting the overall positive effect of a favourable childhood environment on leg growth. DESIGN: Structural equation modelling was used to assess the interrelationship of age, ed…
A socio‐historical hypothesis for the diabetes epidemic in Chinese—Preliminary observations from Hong Kong as a natural experiment
It has been hypothesized that the emerging epidemic of diabetes in economically transitioning or recently transitioned populations is due to mismatch between developmental and mature environments. We took advantage of migration within an ethnically homogenous population to investigate this hypothesis, and the potentially modifying role of postnatal growth conditions, proxied by greater height. We used multivariable logistic regression in a popula…
A profile of the online dissemination of national influenza surveillance data
Appropriate dissemination of surveillance data is important to maximize the utility of collected data. There may be room for improvement in the style and content of the dissemination of influenza data to health care professionals and the general public
A multilevel analysis of the effects of neighbourhood income inequality on individual self-rated health in Hong Kong
Community Psychological and Behavioral Responses through the First Wave of the 2009 Influenza A(H1N1) Pandemic in Hong Kong
BACKGROUND: Little is known about the community psychological and behavioral responses to influenza pandemics. METHODS: Using random digit dialing, we sampled 12,965 Hong Kong residents in 13 cross-sectional telephone surveys between April and November 2009, covering the entire first wave of the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic. We examined trends in anxiety, risk perception, knowledge on modes of transmission, and preventive behaviors. RESULTS: R…
Estimated birth weight and adult cardiovascular risk factors in a developing southern Chinese population
Birth weight may impact blood pressure; however associations of birth weight with other cardiovascular risk factors may not be related to foetal exposures, but speculatively could be an historical co-incidence, with corresponding implications for prevention
Understanding sociohistorical imprint on cancer risk by age–period–cohort decomposition in Hong Kong
BACKGROUND: Research on trends in cancer incidence has usually examined single sites in populations that long ago completed the economic transition. The trends in 11 cancers in three groups in the recently transitioned Hong Kong Chinese population were examined to delineate the effects of economic transition and provide generalised aetiological insights. METHODS: Sex-specific Poisson models were fitted to cancer incidence in Hong Kong (1974-2003)…
Spatial proximity and childhood hospital admissions in a densely populated conurbation
SP3-47 Spatial proximity and childhood hospital admissions in a densely populated conurbation
Introduction Physical distance is a barrier to hospital utilisation. In a very densely populated city in China, we examined whether use of public hospitals by children was associated with individual-level residential proximity, and whether these associations varied with type of admission. Methods The authors used multivariable negative binomial regression in a large, population-representative birth cohort to examine the adjusted associations of p…
P2-271 Socioeconomic development and sex differences in ischaemic heart disease mortality. An age-period-cohort analysis of the Hong Kong Chinese
Introduction An epidemic of premature ischaemic heart disease (IHD) in men usually emerges with economic development. The Hong Kong Chinese population experienced abrupt macro-environmental change generated by mass migration in the late 1940s from pre-industrial China to economically developing Hong Kong. We took advantage of this natural experiment to test whether a “step-change” in living conditions in early life had sex-specific cohort effects…
P1-515 Patterns of infection-related cancers in a rapidly developed Chinese population. An age-period-cohort analysis
Introduction With economic development, non-communicable diseases replace infectious diseases as the leading cause of death; how such transition occurs for infectious diseases with long latency has rarely been considered. We took advantage of a Chinese population with rapid economic development in the mid-20th century to study changing patterns of infection-related cancers. Methods We used sex-specific Poisson regression to estimate age, period a…
P1-372 An age-period-cohort analysis of mortality associated with bacterial diseases in Hong kong
Introduction We aim to investigate longitudinal trends in bacterial disease related mortality in HK in order to describe how socio-economic transition affects mortality due to infections and to provide generalised aetiological insights. We use one of the major bacterial disease related death, septicaemia, as an exemplar. Methods We used local data on mortality due to septicaemia and mid-year population figures (1976–2005). We fitted Poisson age-p…
Characterizing Influenza surveillance systems performance
This study shows certain influenza surveillance systems are less correlated with the information environment than others, and therefore, might represent more reliable indicators of disease activity in future outbreaks. Although the patterns identified in this study might change in future outbreaks, the potential susceptibility of surveillance data is likely to persist in the future, and should be considered when interpreting surveillance data
Influenza epidemiology and influenza vaccine effectiveness during the 2014–2015 season
The Global Influenza Hospital Surveillance Network (GIHSN) has established a prospective, active surveillance, hospital-based epidemiological study to collect epidemiological and virological data for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres over several consecutive seasons. It focuses exclusively on severe cases of influenza requiring hospitalization. A standard protocol is shared between sites allowing comparison and pooling of results. During the …
Estimates of global seasonal influenza-associated respiratory mortality
Occupational Stress among Field Epidemiologists in Field Epidemiology Training Programs from the Public Health Sector
Despite the high-demand work environment for field epidemiologists in field epidemiology training programs, little is known about their occupational stress. To identify occupational stress and its related factors, the occupational stress among trainees in field epidemiology training programs in Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regions from 2016 to 2018 was examined using six subscales: Role Overload, Role Insufficiency, Role Ambiguity, Role Bou…
Respiratory virus shedding in exhaled breath and efficacy of face masks
Rational use of face masks in the Covid-19 pandemic
Mental Health, Risk Factors, and Social Media Use During the Covid-19 Epidemic and Cordon Sanitaire Among the Community and Health Professionals in Wuhan, China
BACKGROUND: The mental health consequences of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, community-wide interventions, and social media use during a pandemic are unclear. The first and most draconian interventions have been implemented in Wuhan, China, and these countermeasures have been increasingly deployed by countries around the world. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine risk factors, including the use of social media, for proba…
Impact assessment of non-pharmaceutical interventions against coronavirus disease 2019 and influenza in Hong Kong
Background A range of public health measures have been implemented to suppress local transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Hong Kong. We examined the effect of these interventions and behavioural changes of the public on the incidence of COVID-19, as well as on influenza virus infections, which might share some aspects of transmission dynamics with COVID-19. Methods We analysed data on laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases, influen…
Estimating clinical severity of Covid-19 from the transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China
Depression and post-traumatic stress during major social unrest in Hong Kong
Temporal dynamics in viral shedding and transmissibility of Covid-19
Nonpharmaceutical Measures for Pandemic Influenza in Nonhealthcare Settings—Social Distancing Measures
Influenza virus infections are believed to spread mostly by close contact in the community. Social distancing measures are essential components of the public health response to influenza pandemics. The objective of these mitigation measures is to reduce transmission, thereby delaying the epidemic peak, reducing the size of the epidemic peak, and spreading cases over a longer time to relieve pressure on the healthcare system. We conducted systemat…
Medicine (29 works) · Environmental health (22 works) · Demography (15 works) · Population (15 works) · Disease (12 works) · Internal Medicine (12 works) · Internal Medicine (11 works) · Public health (11 works) · Cohort (9 works) · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (9 works)