Health Promotion Board collaborates with technology and healthcare partners to incubate solutions that will help Singaporeans prevent and manage chronic conditions

Singapore, 14 November 2024 - To enable Singaporeans to take greater control of their health, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) is collaborating with technology and healthcare companies to pilot programmes that can provide real-time feedback and personalised insights on how to improve their health. This can help at-risk individuals and those living with chronic conditions to delay the onset of diseases and better manage their health. 

The two pilot programmes are in collaboration with (i) Abbott and Health2Sync to support those with pre-diabetes and high body mass index (BMI); and (ii) Google, ConnectedLife and Fullerton Health on the management of hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidaemia.

Both programmes draw on the power of providing personalised feedback to individuals, delivered through technology and coaching platforms, to nudge and support behaviour change. Timely and actionable feedback, such as on diet or physical activity levels, enable individuals to make incremental adjustments to their lifestyles choices to prevent or manage chronic conditions.

Through a call for collaboration exercise, HPB invited industry players with deep expertise and domain knowledge to propose health innovations to help Singaporeans take better ownership of their health and sustain improvements. These efforts complement the nation’s focus on preventive health, driven through Healthier SG.

“HPB is constantly pursuing innovations that enable Singaporeans to better manage their own health. Our latest collaborations with Abbott and Health2Sync, and with Google, ConnectedLife and Fullerton Health, will allow us to trial new solutions that deliver more timely and actionable recommendations to Singaporeans to prevent or manage chronic conditions. These solutions can be potentially scaled up in future to help more Singaporeans,” said Tay Choon Hong, Chief Executive Officer, HPB.

Coupling digital coaching with personal learnings to support individuals in preventing or delaying the onset of diabetes 

HPB is partnering Abbott and Health2Sync on a DigiCoach pilot programme to help those with pre-diabetes or high BMI prevent or delay the onset of diabetes by being more aware of how their daily actions impact their glucose levels. The programme employs real-time feedback via a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device to help participants understand how their glucose levels are affected by their diet and physical activity, reinforcing the importance of eating healthy and balanced meals and post-meal activity. 

Participants will be guided, through digital health coaching sessions, to reflect on their choices and how they should adjust their lifestyle habits to better manage their glucose levels and achieve their health goals. This self-reflection builds up an individual’s awareness, confidence and motivation to take incremental steps to adopt and sustain healthier behaviours.

“Since 2014, Abbott’s world leading CGM technology, FreeStyle Libre, has helped 6 million people living with diabetes in 60 countries manage their glucose levels. Our collaboration with HPB and Health2Sync will help Singaporeans at risk of diabetes access Abbott’s CGM technology and, through Health2Sync mobile app’s timely automated nudges, make healthier lifestyle choices. Participants will be able to see CGM and food data together via intuitive & interactive display, making it easier for them to understand the impact of diet and exercise on their glucose levels,” said Kathleen Tan, Divisional Vice President, Asia Pacific at Abbott Diabetes Care.

Complementing clinical care with lifestyle support to help patients manage hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidaemia

In the partnership with Google, ConnectedLife and Fullerton Health, HPB is exploring a programme that can empower patients and their doctors to examine how lifestyle changes can help patients manage their chronic conditions of hypertension, diabetes mellitus or hyperlipidaemia. 

The HealthTrack SG programme will consolidate clinical data such as blood pressure, with lifestyle data collected through wearable fitness trackers, onto a dashboard, for doctors’ viewing. This makes it easier for doctors to discuss lifestyle modifications with their patients, and what patients can do to improve or maintain their health. An accompanying mobile application with ConnectedLife will also be recommended to patients as a personal health companion, providing tips and nudges to encourage patients to keep to health goals and make healthier lifestyle choices.

“Chronic diseases are a growing concern in Singapore, but we have the technology to make a real difference. Our partnership with HPB to pilot HealthTrack SG is a testament to that. By combining the power of Google’s technology with ConnectedLife’s user-friendly platform and Fullerton Health’s expertise in healthcare delivery, we are giving patients and their doctors the tools they need to manage chronic conditions more easily and effectively. Together, we hope to improve the overall well-being of Singaporeans,” said Amy McDonough, Managing Director & General Manager, Strategic Health Solutions at Google Health.

Please refer to Annex A and Annex B for details on the two pilot programmes.

Pilot programmes will be carried out in real-world settings and studied for scale up potential

Up to 6,000 Singaporeans will be involved in the pilot programmes. Recruitment for individuals to join the DigiCoach programme started in July 2024. The pilot will run for ten months until April 2025. Fullerton Health will commence the recruitment of patients for the HealthTrack SG programme in the first half of 2025 and eligible patients will be part of this pilot for a year to monitor their lifestyle habits. 

In trialling the health innovations and new lifestyle programmes with industry partners, HPB will also gain valuable insights from the data collected on the health concerns and lifestyle risk factors in the population, and what works in encouraging Singaporeans to engage in healthy behaviours. All data collected will be protected and stored according to Singapore’s data privacy and security laws. HPB will study the effectiveness and feasibility of scaling up the innovations and programmes to benefit a wider population.

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ANNEX A

DigiCoach programme, in partnership with Abbott-Health2Sync, to help those with pre-diabetes or high BMI develop healthier lifestyle habits   

• Under the DigiCoach programme, participants undergo a 12-week programme using the Health2Sync mobile application and Freestyle Libre, a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device, to log their meals and physical activity.

• During each CGM cycle, they will receive reports correlating their diet and activity choices to their glucose levels and be guided through digital health coaching sessions on making incremental changes to their lifestyles to better manage their blood glucose levels.

• In the reports they receive, participants will see a weekly Glucose Score that represents how well the participant has been controlling his/her glucose level by keeping it within the healthy range for the past seven days.

• Participants can also view charts showing which meals or activities are contributing to their Glucose Scores. This real-time feedback enables them to examine the daily choices they make in their food intake or activity levels.

• In the digital health coaching component, participants will be guided through questions and prompts, to reflect on actions that worked for them in managing blood glucose levels and the steps they can take to make further improvements.

Weekly CGM Report Showing Glucose Score

Image from Health2Sync Pte Ltd

ANNEX B

Pilot programme, HealthTrack SG, in partnership with Google, ConnectedLife and Fullerton Health, to manage hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidaemia

• Under this pilot, patients take part in a year-long programme to monitor their lifestyle habits, such as step count, moderate to vigorous physical activity level, and sleep quality, collected by a Fitbit wearable device, and health data such as their blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. This lifestyle and clinical information is integrated into the HealthTrack SG app, to give patients a holistic view of their health.

• A Wellness Score is calculated from the data collected by the wearable device, and self-reported clinical and lifestyle information. This score gives patients an indication of their overall wellness and highlights areas where they excel, and where they can make improvements. During consultations, doctors can also access the patient’s Wellness Score and give timely feedback on the impact of their lifestyle habits and overall health.

• Separately, through an online dashboard, which layers patients’ clinical data with lifestyle data, doctors from Fullerton Health are provided with a consolidated view of each patient’s clinical progress against any lifestyle changes they had prescribed the patient. From this, patients and doctors can co-develop and adjust action plans to achieve health goals set.

• Following consultations with their doctors from Fullerton Health, patients will receive an in-app personal Wellness Plan summarising their specific lifestyle recommendations. By analysing patient profiles, the app will provide tailored support through behavioural nudges and tips, including specific educational videos from YouTube Health, such as making healthier food choices or on quitting smoking, encouraging positive lifestyle changes.

Wellness Scores Calculated from Clinical and Lifestyle Information

Mock-up images from ConnectedLife Health Pte Ltd