HEALTH PROMOTION PROGRAMMES

Nutrition Programme

Promoting Healthier Food Choices
In addition to educating the public on healthy eating, HPB works with food vendors and suppliers to make healthy choices easily available. A new Healthier Chinese Cuisine Programme was launched in 2003 to identify and promote healthy food choices available in restaurants. Fifty restaurants qualified for certification under this programme, with each offering about 18 healthier dishes or two healthier dishes per menu category.

Patrons were encouraged to order the healthier dishes through promotions such as “Chef’s Healthier Recommendations”, menu specials, lucky draws and active recommendations by service staff. Over the duration of the campaign, about 28% of table orders included at least one healthier dish.

HPB also approved 25 caterers that offered a selection of healthier menus. A survey conducted in November 2003 showed that more than one in three public organisations had ordered the healthier menus in the last six months.

In 2003, HPB worked with stalls in 4 large upgraded hawker centres to select, promote and publicise healthier food items on their menu boards. These healthier foods are marked as healthier food choices together with the healthier modifications. HPB plans to work with 15 hawker centres every year in conjunction with the National Environmental Agency’s upgrading project for hawker centres.

The proportion of Singaporeans requesting healthier modifications at hawker centres has increased from 12% in 1999, to 28% in 2002, and 36% in 2003. Feedback showed that patrons who did not make such requests were concerned that food would be less tasty or the hawkers would respond rudely to such requests. To address these concerns, “Healthier Hawker Trails” were organised and promoted through workplaces and community centres to allow participants to sample the healthier foods and to interact with vendors.

Healthier Food Choices in Schools
In school tuckshops, seven guidelines on modification of food to make them healthier choices were drawn up. These guidelines encourage the use of less fat, salt and sauces in food preparation and more fruit and vegetables to be served, restrict the sale of deep fried foods and discourage the sale of soda drinks.

Healthier choices on menu boards

In 2003, three in ten schools met all seven guidelines, while another four in ten schools met some of the requirements. Generally, schools have done well in providing more fresh fruit and in using less coconut milk when preparing dishes. Areas for improvement include serving more vegetables, providing deep-fried foods no more than once a week, and reducing the sale of soda drinks.

Fruit and Vegetables Day Programme
A survey carried out in 2003 showed that two in three Singaporean adults were aware of the recommendation to eat two servings each of fruits and vegetables every day. However, less than one in three people knew what constituted one portion of fruit and only one in ten knew what constituted one portion of vegetables.

Several events were organised during the year to increase the awareness of portion sizes. Workplaces and tertiary institutions were encouraged to organise a “Fruit and Vegetables Day” where fruits and vegetables packed into appropriate portions were sold by wholesalers at discounted prices. A one-day carnival was held in January 2004 at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre. This joint event with the Fruit and Vegetables Importers and Exporters Association attracted more than 10,000 people and sales were on average up 50% from other weekdays.

Development of Food Grouping System
A Food Grouping System was developed to track consumption by foods and food groups in addition to consumption by nutrients. This system breaks down 600 commonly eaten foods into their ingredients and sorts those with similar ingredients into food groups.

Nutrition Labelling Programme
In 2003, the number of food products carrying the Nutrition Information Panel increased by 26% from 927 to 1171. The number of food products carrying the Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) increased by 37% from 579 to 792.

HCS products were promoted during a 9-month long collaboration with 5 major supermarkets from July 2003 to March 2004. Selected HCS products were sold at discounted prices and publicised through weekly press advertisements and in-store events such as cooking demonstrations, food sampling and lucky draws. HCS product categories saw an annual increase of an average of 21% in purchase volumes and 4% in market share over non-HCS products.

Mind Your Mind Programme
The Mind Your Mind Mental Health Education Programme 2003 was launched in October with a public forum “Beyond the Blues - Depression in Children and Adolescents”.

A survey undertaken by HPB in 2002 showed that one in four Singaporeans thought that depressed people were themselves at fault for their condition and two out of three thought that people with depression could pull themselves out of the condition through willpower.

The programme focused on raising the awareness of the signs, symptoms and treatment of depression, and reducing the stigma associated with it. A year-long media education with the tagline “Depression is treatable” highlighted depression as a medical condition for which help is available. A series of talks “Healthy Mind, Healthy You” was conducted at workplaces to educate working adults on how to manage stress and prevent depression.

Mental health education was also conducted through other activities such as public forums, workshops, support groups and training of health professionals, teachers and facilitators.

A Video CD package “Mind Your Mind - Managing Emotions” was developed for secondary school teachers to help them recognise early signs of depression and teach students to manage stress and peer-pressure, develop positive self-image and effective communication skills. This was a collaborative effort by HPB, Ministry of Education (MOE), Institute of Mental Health and MCDS.

Osteoporosis Prevention Programme

	Osteroporosis Prevention Programme 2003: “Build Your Bone Bank” Carnival

The Osteoporosis Prevention Programme 2003 with the theme “Build Your Bone Bank” was launched in November 2003 at a 2-day carnival. The programme educated the public on the concept of bone mass, and highlighted the importance of building Peak Bone Mass (PBM) before 30 years of age, through consuming a healthy diet with adequate calcium and engaging in regular weight-bearing exercise.

A month-long media educational campaign with the tagline “Calcium-rich foods for strong bones” highlighted how strong bones prevent osteoporosis, and featured tips on calcium intake and facts on osteoporosis. This was followed by a year-long series of public education activities in the community and supported by educational materials. A new fun pantomime “Aladdin & the Magical Maxx”, was staged at various community venues to educate children and parents on osteoporosis and its prevention.