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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

The trend of consuming home packed lunches to work or school is seen as a healthier option but people are still having food from hawker centres, food courts and coffee shops four to seven times a week. Dr Mary Chong, Assistant Professor, stated that here is an importance of cultivating healthy eating habits from young as if people were to wait until adulthood, their eating habits would have been deeply entrenched and would be difficult to modify. The presence of developmental, biological and behavioral influences will have long-term profound consequences onRead more

In the program Challenge Tomorrow: Adapting to Ageing, the host sets out to find out what it means to be an elderly person living in this current time and why ageing can be seen to be a problem for the society. An ageing population places a higher demand on healthcare and there is a need to increase the number of people in the intermediate and long term healthcare sector by 2020 to support the demand. Living in an era of smart machines plays an important role in an ageing societyRead more

The minimum legal age for smoking in Singapore will be raised from 18 to 21, to make it harder for young people to get hold of cigarettes at a time when they are more vulnerable to peer pressure and the addictive effects of nicotine. The National Health Surveillance Survey showed that Singaporeans are starting to pick up the habit at a younger age. Professor Chia Kee Seng, Dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health noted that “Tobacco companies are known to target youth in their marketing toRead more

A study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology investigated the long term impact red meat consumption has on kidney health. The study, which was carried out at NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Duke-NUS Medical School also investigated the potential impact that red meat has on kidney health. Professor Koh Woon Puay delved into the data from the Singapore Chinese Health Studies with the aim to uncover the role of different protein sources on kidney health outcomes. The results of their study have shown that thatRead more

The Community Health Projects (CHP) presentation, is an annual intensive 2-day presentation session organised by the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, which showcases the findings of the various community health-related research projects undertaken by the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine’s undergraduates, under the supervision of our School’s faculty. Recently held on 1st and 2nd March, this year’s session was attended by 300 fourth-year medical students as well as their supervisors and guests from other health agencies. Following each student group’s presentation, the audience engaged at length in robustRead more

Young minds are often more vulnerable to bad habits as they were able to mimic the behavior and actions made by the adults that are in their lives. For the most part, trying to promote healthy living among the young in Singapore would require their parents to play an integral part. Professor Chia Kee Seng, Dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health commented on how the initiatives that were recommended by the inter-agency taskforce NurtureSG should not be seen in isolation.  Prof Chia mentioned that the initiativesRead more