Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Subdivided units (SDU) is a budget but cramped housing option in Hong Kong, limiting residents' access to community resources and social connection. Community Living Rooms (CLR) are government-initiated policies to provide SDU residents with shared facilities and community support. This study examines whether CLR participation improves members' biopsychosocial health and health literacy.
METHODS: This study compared 233 CLR non-users with 130 CLR users among 363 SDU residents, further classifying users by service type (facility-based, social activities, or both). Linear regression with 5,000 bootstrap resamples estimated 95% confidence intervals (Cis) for between-group differences in continuous biopsychosocial and health literacy indicators.
RESULTS: Of the 130 CLR users, 28 used facilities, 30 joined in social activities, 53 engaged in both, and 19 had no service record. Compared to non-users, CLR users who joined social activities achieved higher community reciprocity norms (52.0 [95%CI: −2.3, 103.4], p=.043) and community trust (57.9 [95%CI: 1.9, 111.9], p=.036), and demonstrated better medication adherence (2.45 [95%CI: 1.52, 3.37], p<.001). CLR users who engaged with facilities reported higher WHO-5 well-being scores (2.31 [95%CI: −0.04, 4.35], p=.042). Regardless of service type, CLR participants improved their health literacy relative to non-users, including understanding of hospital and medical information (1.07 [95%CI: 0.20, 1.94], p=.015) and communication with healthcare providers (1.09 [95%CI: 0.28, 1.94], p=.017).
CONCLUSIONS: SDU residents who joined CLR social activities strengthened their community trust and reciprocity norms, while facility users reported greater well-being. Across all service types, CLR participants improved their health literacy, possibly through health information exchanged within the programme. These findings demonstrate the value of the CLR policy in building social capital and health capability among Hong Kong's most housing-deprived residents.