What you need to know about the new health initiatives

The Prime Minister joined the Great Singapore Workout to launch them.

A series of new initiatives were unveiled by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to encourage Singaporeans to make healthier choices, by tapping on community support and healthy lifestyle tools accessible via new media.

Prime Minister Lee said, “Singapore has been promoting healthy lifestyles for 20 years. We have made progress – more people are exercising, fewer are smoking and Singaporeans are generally more aware of the need to stay fit and healthy. But our obesity rates are going up too, with more fast foods and sedentary occupations.”

Available online in all four official languages for anyone aged 18 and above, the newly launched Healthy Lifestyle Index is in the form of a quick and easy to use questionnaire of ten questions, each covering one of the following ten health domains: Body Mass Index (BMI); physical activity; diet; smoking; alcohol; sleep; stress; depression; social/emotional support and health screenings.

An announcement by the Health Promotion Board said the index seeks to assess the overall health behaviour of the participant and is developed to provide advice and recommendations on appropriate HPB programmes to support the individual participant and help improve health behaviours.

Meanwhile healthyMEtv promises a free one-stop digital channel to view programmes on wellbeing and learn about healthy living. Available on demand and around the clock via any internet connected device, programming will range from short videos on a range of medical conditions to tips on exercise, healthy eating, and relaxation. TV presenters include Darren Lim and Nikki Muller and well-being experts Kristy Curtis and Dr. Robert Sloan.

The Healthy Shopper programme, on the other hand, is aimed at helping Singaporeans make the healthier choice in food and ingredients when grocery shopping. A joint collaboration between the HPB and supermarket chains NTUC Fairprice, Cold Storage, Giant, and Sheng Siong, shoppers will be able to pick healthier food and ingredients by an easily identifiable Healthy Shopper logo. A selection of healthier food items will also be available every week at promotional prices to ensure they remain affordable to all.

Speaking about the National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said, “I hope the NHLC will not only continue to address current health needs of Singaporeans but also to prepare Singaporeans to deal with future health challenges. This will become more important as Singapore’s population ages.”