June 2017

Singaporeans are living longer – but are we ready for old age? Singapore’s life expectancy at birth has risen from 59 to 80 years in males, and 63 to 85 years in females from 1960 to 2015. Life expectancies of 90 years and beyond in the near future might be a reality closer than we thought. Yet rising life expectancy, accompanied by a falling fertility rate and an ageing population, brings its set of challenges: the prospect of more seniors in post-retirement age, possibly outliving their financial resources; a shrinkingRead more

Singapore could hit obesity rates of 15 per cent in just seven years, according to the Health Promotion Board’s latest data on Singaporeans and obesity. The average Singaporean is getting heavier and more likely to overeat, with more young children putting on more weight. This population-wide shift toward obesity, if uncurbed, could increase the risks of diseases including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke. Is the Body Mass Index (BMI) an accurate measure of body fat or health? What should be done to change our dietary habits? How can we

A study led by Associate Professor Wong Mee Lian has shown that young women who have been sexually abused are a lot more likely to become sexually active, while young men who watch pornography are six times more likely to have sex at an early age. The study which was published in Pediatrics, a medical journal, in 2009, was also co-authored by Adjunct Professor Roy Chan, Professor David Koh, Dr Tan Hiok Hee, Dr Lim Fong Seng, Dr Shanta Emmanuel and Professor George Bishop. Assoc Prof Wong noted that a significantly higher

Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH) faculty and researchers have once again placed the School as the regional leader in public health education, training and research. The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Singapore Chapter announced the result of the Society’s 2017-2018 elections with two staff from SSHSPH taking on leadership roles. The recent election marks a historic time with representation from SSHSPH faculty in the past, current and future presidential leadership role for ISPOR Singapore, and showcases our preeminent faculty members. The School congratulates Dr John

Dengue is a disease that knows no boundaries and is estimated to affect about 390 million people every year, mostly in ASEAN and the Western Pacific regions. The figures might be underestimated as some countries do not have the necessary equipment and tools to detect the disease. As this year’s ASEAN Dengue Day theme suggests, there needs to be a “United Fight against Dengue”, where countries around the region should work together to reduce the dengue burden. There is a need for communities within countries to be more aware and

Vice Dean (Academic Affairs) Associate Professor Chia Sin Eng attended the recently concluded  5th ASEAN Diagnostic Criteria for Occupational Diseases (ADCOD) on 5th to 7th June in Ayutthaya, Thailand.  The meeting was attended by several of our School’s alumni including Singapore’s representative, Dr Kenneth Choy, Deputy Director of Department Safety and Health, Ministry of Manpower; Dr Alice Lai, Head of Division of Occupational Health, Ministry of Health, Brunei Darussalam; Professor Than Htut, Occupational Medicine Professor at the University of Public Health in Yangon, Myanmar. In the opening speech by Dr Theerapol Topanthanont, Director General of

Obesity is fast becoming a worrying issue in the Southeast Asia (SEA) as rising incomes, urbanisation and globalisation made more food choices, including many less healthy ones, accessible to people in the ASEAN region. An Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)  report commissioned by the Asia Roundtable on Food Innovation for Improved Nutrition titled “Tackling obesity in ASEAN: Prevalence, impact, and guidance on interventions” stated that obesity is reducing productive years of an individual within an average of about six to 10 years. Obesity is linked to many chronic diseases such as

As Singapore records the highest median age, longest life expectancy rates and lowest fertility rates in the region, the population is faced with the challenges of adapting itself with a rapidly ageing population. As with the increase in the onset of chronic diseases like diabetes, the population would have to find ways to manage chronic diseases and the complications that arise from it for a longer period of time in their later years. As this trend is set to continue well into the future, the Institute of Mental Health (IMH)