Singapore Health Award 2022 honours 135 for championing healthy living

Singapore, 11 November 2022 – At the Singapore HEALTH (Helping Everyone Achieve Lifetime Health) Award 2022 ceremony organised by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) today, 135 recipients from workplaces, pre-schools, and healthy living advocates, were honoured for their exemplary efforts in championing healthy living among different segments of the population. In line with Healthier SG’s focus on preventive health, the Award serves to encourage whole-of-society efforts in promoting healthier lifestyles and supporting residents in taking charge of their health.

Themed “Inclusivity in Health”, this year’s Singapore HEALTH Award recognises stakeholders who had demonstrated strong commitment and holistic efforts in promoting both physical and mental well-being across workplaces, pre-schools and the community, and in supporting individuals to look after their health amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The ceremony was graced by guests-of-honour, Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of Health, and Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence & Ministry of Manpower.

Growing recognition of mental health as part of overall well-being at workplaces
Three organisations – Changi Airport Group, the Housing and Development Board, and NatSteel Holdings – stood out from among 58 awardees for their exemplary actions in supporting different aspects of employees’ physical and mental well-being. They were conferred the Achievement Award in the Organisational Champion Award category as a mark of distinction for sustaining their efforts and having in place clear indicators to evaluate the health outcomes of their workforce. Their initiatives ranged from conducting regular physical activities, health screenings and health coaching sessions at the workplace, to setting up peer support groups and organising mental well-being workshops for employees.

Among the winning organisations¹ this year, 93% of them had implemented programmes that support their employees’ mental well-being. This is an increase from 45% in 2019 when the Award was last held (before the COVID-19 situation brought a temporary halt to the Award). Some of the initiatives include mental health first-aid courses, counselling and peer support training courses, workshops and talks on stress management, as well as putting in place supportive workplace practices such as flexible working hours.

The focus on mental well-being reflects a growing recognition of mental health as a key aspect of overall health at the workplace. This trend corresponds with the rise in participation for HPB’s workplace mental well-being programmes, which increased from 13,000 in 2019² to 24,000 this year from January to September 2022. The programmes are offered through collaborations with organisations across different industries and workplace settings, associations, unions and public sector agencies. They include workshops on stress management for individuals, as well as supervisory training and peer support programmes that help line managers, human resource personnel and employees learn to support their teams and co-workers in their mental well-being.

Recognising efforts by pre-schools and the community
Beyond stakeholders at the workplace, those who had made a difference in the pre-schools and community settings were also honoured at the Singapore HEALTH Award. 75 pre-schools received the Healthy Pre-school (Platinum) Award. In the midst of dealing with the pandemic, the recipients had stayed the course in promoting healthy living in their pre-schools through comprehensive initiatives.

To qualify for the Platinum Award, the pre-schools would have been accredited the ‘Platinum’ tier consecutively for three cycles³ under HPB’s Healthy Pre-school Accreditation Framework⁴. This means that the awarded pre-schools had demonstrated sustained efforts in providing pre-schoolers with access to healthy meals and promoting active lifestyle in school, implementing targeted interventions to help pre-schoolers maintain a healthy weight, and equipping parents, teachers and staff members with knowledge and skills to instil healthy habits in their pre-schoolers. Some notable initiatives included incorporating concepts of balanced diets, mental well-being and eye care into the curriculum, and engaging parents to support them in caring for their children’s mental well-being during the pandemic.

To commend advocacy for healthy living within the community, two Health Ambassadors who had volunteered in supporting HPB’s programmes were presented with the Health Ambassador Recognition Award. As part of HPB’s network of volunteers who encourage fellow residents to adopt healthier lifestyles, they had led health talks or exercise classes to help Singaporeans learn how to live healthier lives. Beyond supporting HPB, they had also been volunteering with the Regional Health Systems to support rehabilitating patients in hospitals in their recovery journey.

The Singapore HEALTH Award ceremony, which was conducted through a hybrid set-up on-site and in virtual mode this year, saw a total turnout of over 500 attendees, including representatives from public and private sector organisations and from pre-schools as well as Health Ambassadors.

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About the Health Promotion Board

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) was established as a statutory board under the Ministry of Health, Singapore, in 2001 with the vision of building “A Nation of Healthy People”. HPB aims to empower Singaporeans to attain optimal health, increase the quality and years of healthy life and prevent illness, disability and premature death. As the key agency overseeing national health promotion and disease prevention programmes, HPB spearheads health education, promotion and prevention programmes as well as creates a health-supportive environment in Singapore. It develops and organises health promotion and disease prevention programmes, reaching out to the healthy, the at-risk and the unhealthy at all stages of life – children, youths, adults and older Singapore residents. Its health promotion initiatives cover nutrition, physical activity, mental well-being, health screening, tobacco control and communicable disease education.

More information can be found at www.hpb.gov.sg.

ANNEX A
Singapore HEALTH Award 2022 - Structure & Categories

For full list of award winners, please visit:
Singapore HEALTH Award (hpb.gov.sg)

¹ Organisations that won the Achievement Award and Excellence Award
² January 2019 to December 2019
³ FY2017, 2019 and 2021
⁴ The Healthy Pre-school Accreditation Framework is a two-tiered (Basic and Platinum) framework that provides a structured approach to support and empower pre-schools to develop a culture that promotes healthy living from young.