News

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)Read more

Recent studies have shown that the Asia Pacific region is home to about 30% of the world’s smokers. Singapore’s numbers remain at about 13.3%.  There is more that can be done to deter the youth from picking up the bad habit of smoking. In conjunction with World No Tobacco Day today, 31 May 2017, Associate Professor Joanne Yoong expressed her opinions on the issue of smoking among the youth in the society on First Look Asia. She states that the youth who do pick up smoking are most likely doing so dueRead more

When purchasing products such as hand sanitizers or soap, most consumers would prefer to purchase “anti-bacterial” products claiming to “kill XX% of germs”. However, anti-bacterial products may not be the safest choice and the conventional use of soap and water to wash your hands would do a better job. It would depend on the methods of hand washing, rather than the products, to wash and disinfect one’s hands thoroughly. Given the recent ban on most anti-bacterial soaps and body washes by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on theRead more

Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and esteemed SSHSPH alumna, will be officially stepping down after serving the Organization for 10 years. Her successor Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus from Ethiopia will take office on 1 July 2017. WHO has also published a Ten Years in Public Health 2007 – 2017 report chronicling the evolution of global public health over the past decade during Dr Chan’s tenure. The report opens with a letter from her reflecting on the highlights and challenges over the last 10 years, and lessons learnt for building a better,Read more

The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) and the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health recently hosted the “Diabetes Prevention in Asian Populations” workshop at the Clinical Sciences Building of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine on 25 May 2017. The workshop was co-chaired by LKCMedicine Dean Professor James Best and Dean of SSHSPH Prof Chia Kee Seng. Keynote presentations during the workshop included presentations by Prof Juliana Chan from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prof Brian Oldenburg from the University of Melbourne and Prof NihalRead more

On 19th May 2017, the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health held its first ever fundraising dinner in support of the SSHSPH Help-A-Student Fund at the Della and Seng Gee Guild Hall, NUSS Kent Ridge Guild House. The “Celebrating Public Health” event saw a capacity attendance of over 300 guests, including public health pioneers, donors, industry partners, alumni, students, staff as well as former colleagues of the School. It was truly an evening of celebration of Singapore’s public health achievements, reunions of colleagues and peers, appreciation of Singapore’s publicRead more

Love milk? According to findings from the Singapore Chinese Health Study, adults who consume at least one 240ml glass of cow’s milk every day has a 12 per cent lower risk of diabetes than those who do not. The findings from the study, led by principal investigator Professor Koh Woon Puay, was published in the Journal of Nutrition earlier this year in February. According to Prof Koh, milk and dairy lower the risk of diabetes and hypertension, as they contain minerals such as calcium. These minerals increase the body’s insulin secretionRead more

Patients that required to undergo physiotherapy will soon be able to opt for their rehabilitation activities to be carried out in the comforts of their home. Rehabilitation activities can be monitored by therapists as patients will be using wearable sensors to monitor their movements while being filmed on a tablet. The NUS Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health jointly developed the tele-rehab system — said to be the first of its kind — which includes a set-up comprising a tablet, neckRead more

Singapore’s latest move to deter youths from taking their first puff is to raise the minimum legal age for smoking from 18 to 21, a measure to be phased in over a few years. Research has suggested that governments should restrict the number of sales points for cigarettes so as to deter the youth from purchasing cigarettes. Places like Tasmania and Bhutan have either drafted legislation or a total ban or to outlaw smoking for people that are born after the year 2000. Singapore has tried with the movement calledRead more

This August, 1.8 million Singaporeans are entitled to a health screening that will cost $5 or less, under the Enhanced Screen for Life programme that will start in September. Invitation letters will be set to all Singaporeans that are aged 40 years and older. With the letter, the eligible will be able to call on more than 1000 general practice clinics that are on the Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) to fix a date to screen for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, cervical and colorectal cancers. The HealthRead more

“What is Diabetes?” “What is Insulin?” “Why is Diabetes a silent killer?” “What is the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes?”   These were some of the questions that were posted by some of the residents that had attended the Punggol 21 CC Health Fiesta- Say No to Diabetes Dialogue on 25th of March 2017. As part of the school’s ongoing efforts to educate the public on diabetes and what might be the underlying factors that causes diabetes, Professor Chia Kee Seng, Dean of the Saw Swee Hock SchoolRead more

24 March 2017 marks World Tuberculosis Day. Tuberculosis, known as TB is an air-borne disease that is transmitted through fine respiratory droplets from an infected person. It usually affects the lungs and if not treated properly, TB can be a fatal disease. This year’s World TB Day there is the same from 2016, which is “Unite to End TB”. There is a special focus on the efforts that can be taken to overcome barriers to access quality TB care and leave no one behind. Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, ProgrammeRead more