| Proof Tough Love Works |
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JSABD
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 25 Aug 2011 12:23 am |
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVsd96p6Piw&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MnMcygNFCA
Editor?óÔé¼ÔÇØIn 1992 Singapore's health ministry launched a national programme promoting a healthy lifestyle to address the common risk factors for chronic diseases such as obesity, physical inactivity, and cigarette smoking. Different age groups in the population were targeted, including school children.The health promotion board of the health ministry works in close partnership with the education ministry on obesity programmes for school children. The education ministry's ?óÔé¼?ôtrim and fit?óÔé¼?Ø programme for primary, secondary, and pre-university schools aims to reduce obesity in school children and improve the physical fitness of the pupils using a mutidisciplinary approach targeting overweight students, parents, teachers, and the school environment. These are comparable to the approaches used in Sahota et al's intervention programme.1,2
Under the programme, nutrition education is integrated into the formal school curriculum. The food and drinks sold in school canteens are subject to control measures, and water coolers are provided in all schools to encourage students to drink more plain water. Schools that achieve good health outcomes will be presented with the trim and fit awards annually.
Special attention is also given to students found to be overweight. At schools they participate in special physical exercise programmes, and messages on healthier nutrition choices are reinforced. Obese students who require further assessment and management are referred to the school health service's students' health centre for more intensive follow up with doctors and dieticians. The health promotion board launched the ?óÔé¼?ôchampioning effort resulting in improved school health?óÔé¼?Ø award in 2000. The award recognises schools that continually strive to nurture the physical, emotional, and social health of both students and staff and help them adopt healthy practices through comprehensive and innovative methods. Children are also targeted in the community programmes that promote healthy lifestyle habits in families.
Since the implementation of these obesity programmes, the prevalence of obesity has declined from 16.6% to 14.6% between 1992 and 2000 among primary 6 students (11-12 year olds). A similar decline was seen in secondary 4 students (15-16 year olds) from 15.5% to 13.1% over the same period.3,4 These obesity programmes form a part of the overall push by the government of Singapore to promote health through schools, which has been identified by the World Health Organization as one of the most efficient and effective ways of improving the lives of young people.5 It is also a part of the overarching framework for non-communicable disease prevention and control to reduce premature mortality in the country.
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