Education | UM graduate awarded for study on migrant workers

University of Macau student Huang Lei (right)

The Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Global Health Conference’s undergraduate student poster contest will award its first prize to a sociology graduate from the University of Macau.

Huang Lei will be presented an award for her poster that presents a study examining the spatial and sociodemographic correlates of the weight status among Filipina migrant workers in the SAR.

The winning paper is titled ‘Fast Food Restaurant Density and Weight Status: A Spatial Analysis among Filipina Migrant Workers in Macau (SAR), People’s Republic of China’.

The upcoming conference – where Huang will be awarded – will be held at the University of Hong Kong.

According to a statement issued by the university, the study collected data from nearly 4,000 Filipina migrant workers in Macau, including the participants’ demographic characteristics, health-related behaviors, height, weight, and body fat percentage.

The study has found that nearly 65% of the participants are either overweight or obese and that the increased density of fast food restaurants has been associated with the unhealthy weight status of female migrant workers in Macau.

The study suggests that health interventions to improve diet and physical activity should be promoted among this population.

Huang’s poster is based on a migrant health study she was involved in as an undergraduate research assistant in the Global and Community Mental Health Research Group of the FSS.

During her undergraduate studies, Huang received the Henry Fok Foundation Scholarship for three consecutive years and was awarded the Jorge Alvares Foundation Academic Prize for her outstanding academic achievements. LV