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On 3–5 June 2019, the School conducted a training workshop on ‘Leadership in Occupational Health’ with 29 senior-management-level participants from various hospitals, preventive centres and national institutes in Vietnam. This workshop aims to provide participants with competencies and skills in the planning, implementation and evaluation of health programmes, and acts as the second part of a course that was conducted on 10–12 April in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam with the same participants. The course is part of the Public Health in Vietnam programme, under the TFI-NUS-Viet Nam projectRead more

A recent study estimated that 210,000 men in Singapore have sex with other men, and they could face a concentrated epidemic of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Led by Vice Dean (Research), Associate Professor Alex Cook, the study is the first of its kind to estimate the number of people in specific groups in Singapore who are at risk of HIV infection. There are four key ‘hidden’ population groups most likely to acquire and transmit HIV. They are estimated to be: 210,000 men who have sex with men 72,000 male clients ofRead more

The nature of work is changing due to advancements in technology and the modern world. As a result of an ageing workforce and increased levels of sedentariness at work, the prevalence of chronic diseases in the workforce is expected to grow. Ergonomic measures to protect workers both physically (e.g., visual, auditory and musculoskeletal health) and cognitively (e.g., mental workload, impact on sensory processing) must evolve to be relevant to those who engage in these new modes of interacting with the digital world. Sophisticated communication and mobile technologies have also allowedRead more

World No Tobacco Day falls on 31 May every year. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that tobacco use is currently responsible for the death of about seven million adults across the world each year. On average in developed countries, smokers die 14 years before their time and lose 23 years of their life. There is irrefutable evidence of the devastating health impacts of smoking and a long list of health consequences and diseases caused by tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke (second hand smoking). Singapore has made greatRead more

There is now irrefutable evidence of the devastating health impacts of smoking, as well as a long list of health consequences and diseases caused by smoking and second-hand smoke. Tobacco is now linked to 25 different diseases, and is the major cause of lung cancer, bronchitis and emphysema. The World Health Organization (WHO) World No Tobacco Day falls on 31 May. It is a call to action, advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption and engaging stakeholders across multiple sectors in the fight for tobacco control.Today we publish the event report onRead more

How is the world that we have made remaking us? In a short podcast series called ‘Changing Worlds, Changing Bodies’, UK-based writer Vybarr Cregan-Reid travels to US, Kenya and Singapore to find out why our feet are getting bigger and flatter, why back pain is the number one cause of disability in many places in the world, and what stress is doing to our faces. In Singapore, as with other urban Asian cities, the rates of myopia have increased in the past few decades. Vybarr spoke to Professor Saw Seang Mei toRead more

The number of people smoking e-cigarettes in Hong Kong more than tripled from 13,200 in 2017 to 42,000 in 2018, according to a survey commissioned by the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (COSH). At a news conference on 23 May 2019, COSH called for the city’s Legislative Council (LegCo) to pass the e-cigarette ban legislation as soon as possible. The deliberation on the bill is currently adjourned and will resume on June 25. Although the prevalence of alternative smoking products — including electronic cigarettes and ‘heat not burn’Read more

While Singapore has made strides in its campaign against tobacco, more can be done to shift the needle particularly among the youths. Smoking prevalence among Singaporeans aged 18 to 29 increased from 12 per cent in 2004 to 16 per cent in 2010. A study by Senior Research Fellow Yvette van der Eijk and Assistant Professor Lee Jeong Kyu shows that it might have to do with the misperception associated with menthol tobacco products – that they were ‘healthier’ than regular cigarettes. In addition to damaging health like regular cigarettes, menthol cigarettes are inRead more

A recent study found that boys under five years old who watch television and use electronic devices over a long period of time have higher body fat as compared to girls who do the same. Carried out from December 2011 to February 2019, the study surveyed 1,000 young children, including participants of the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort study, and was led by Associate Professor Falk Müller-Riemenschneider, Programme Leader (Physical Activity and Nutrition Determinants in Asia). Results showed that a large proportion of Singaporean children are increasinglyRead more

More than 3,000 cases of dengue infections have already been reported over the last four months this year, nearly exceeding the total number of cases reported in the whole year of 2018. “As the number of dengue infections was considerably low in the past three years, the risk of an individual being exposed to the virus is also lower, which could have resulted in weakened herd immunity due to natural infection over time”, said Assistant Professor Vincent Pang, Director, Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research. “If the number of dengueRead more

Unhealthy food environments, where energy-dense nutrient-poor foods are widely available, more affordable, and heavily promoted, are not supportive of healthy eating. In fact, poor dietary habits is one of the leading behavioural risk factors for premature death and ill health in Singapore. Therefore, it is crucial to measure and improve the health of our food environments. Government actions, which can regulate the cost, availability, accessibility and promotion of healthier foods, are important determinants of the quality of our food environments. As part of the School’s Physical Activity and Nutrition Determinants inRead more

Associate Professor Norbert Wagner is an occupational health physician who has spent most of the last twenty years setting up training programmes in different countries to build capacity in prevention at the workplace. Norbert also works as a specialist and consultant in occupational health for governments and companies. Yesterday was World Day for Safety and Health at Work, and the International Labour Organization’s 100th anniversary. To commemorate this day, we are shining a light on an often overlooked area: the impact of work on health and well-being. Workers in the formalRead more