Analysis of use and knowledge of skin whitening products by domestic helpers in Hong Kong

Abstract

Background Being a unique and distinctive group in Hong Kong, foreign domestic helpers’ rights and needs should also be recognized. Unfortunately, there are not many studies focused on foreign domestic helpers. This study aimed to evaluate the use and knowledge of skin whitening products of domestic helpers in Hong Kong so that it could provide a foundation to improve their life of qualities in Hong Kong. Methods A survey was conducted with domestic helpers to investigate their use and knowledge in skin whitening products. Hard copies of questionnaires were distributed to them on three consecutive Sundays in March and April2017 at Admiralty, Central and a programme session at the University of Hong Kong. A total of 400 domestic helpers completed the questionnaires. Multiple response analysis was used to assess frequencies and percentages of responses. Results The 400 respondents were mainly women (99.5%) from Philippines (99.75%). Two-fifth of the domestic helpers (41.5%) is using skin whitening products in Hong Kong now. They mainly use topical skin whitening products with average monthly expenditure of HKD$98.07. The most frequently reported reasons of using skin whitening products are beauty and to look younger while that of not using skin whitening products is they do not need them. The most common undesirable experience caused by skin whitening products is skin rashes or redness on skin. Generally, they have little knowledge on skin whitening products including the contents, potential harmful substances and side effects. Discussion and Conclusion The results are varied. Some respondents have similar usage and habit on skin whitening products. However, there is a great room for improvement in their knowledge of skin whitening products. Friends in the real world as well as through social platform may play an important role in affecting their use and knowledge of skin whitening products. Limited by the format of questionnaires and time, further studies and follow up interview are suggested to deeply investigate into the topic. In the future, it is hoped that appropriate uses and knowledge of skin whitening products could be introduced to domestic helpers in Hong Kong especially those with misunderstanding and without any knowledge on skin whitening.