SINGAPORE – In a bid to encourage Singaporeans to take ownership of their health and well-being, Sport Singapore (SportSG), the national governing body for sports, has launched a new social movement called Active Health to empower individuals to be healthy.

As part of this initiative, Active Health Labs (AHL) which offer exercise screenings and programmes to the public will be progressively set up at all ActiveSG sports centres in the country.

The first prototype AHL is set to open on Aug 6 at Our Tampines Hub (OTH). It will be jointly run by SportSG, Changi General Hospital (CGH) and Exercise is Medicine Singapore (EIMS), which is a Changi Sports Medicine Centre programme to make physical activity and exercise a part of preventing and treating diseases.

The three parties will work together to create fitness solution pathways, as well as equip Active Health experts with the knowledge and skills to be able to properly help AHL users prevent and manage common health conditions.

Dr Lee Chien Earn, chief executive officer (CEO) of CGH and deputy group CEO, Regional Health System, SingHealth said: “Our expertise in sports medicine complements SportSG’s capabilities and experience in fitness and wellness.

“We look forward to working together to develop solutions to help Singaporeans achieve better health through an active lifestyle in a safe and enjoyable way.”

This pilot phase of the AHL will run till the end of the year, during which information and feedback will be gathered to improve its offerings going forward.

Another two labs – at the Bedok sports centre and Alexandra Hospital (AH) – will be rolled out next year, while there are also plans to set up a lab at the upcoming Sembawang Sports and Community Hub.

Along with CGH and EIMS, SportSG will also partner with several other public, private and people sector organisations to not only promote Active Health, but also develop it further.

Four other institutions – the Health Promotion Board (HPB), National Healthcare Group Polyclinics (NHGP), SingHealth and the National University Health System (NUHS) – have also committed to working with SportSG on Active Health.

NUHS will work with SportSG to pilot the Active Centre within AH, while the NHGP will help to develop the centre at the Sembawang Sports and Community Hub.

All these partnerships were made official on Friday (July 28), as SportSG signed memorandums of understanding (MOU) with the respective institutions.

Said SportSG’s CEO Lim Teck Yin: “Beyond providing infrastructure, Active Health seeks to encourage Singaporeans’ aspirations to live well by supporting them with knowledge, programmes and networks of like-minded enthusiasts.

“The investment in health and wellness is a life-long pursuit, and an on-going process of self-awareness, adjustments and adaptations to optimise potential according to each person’s life stage.

“As a first step, we will be working with strategic partners that will enable us to integrate our efforts and ensure that the Active Health journey will be fruitful and enjoyable.”

SportSG’s partnership with HPB will see them jointly develop a nationwide framework and policies for the engagement of Active Health stakeholders from both the public and private sectors at the national level.

The two agencies will explore and identify opportunities to introduce and implement Active Health programmes through platforms such as the AHL, as well as educate the public on topics such as nutrition and physical activity.

“HPB is pleased to be a part of this initiative where we hope to empower every Singaporean to take ownership of their health,” said HPB CEO Zee Yoong Kang.

“We will work closely with SportSG to co-develop and implement relevant programmes to help Singaporeans cultivate healthier lifestyle habits such as paying more attention to our diet, incorporating physical activity into our daily routine and going for regular health screening and follow-up.”

Apart from the AHL, Active Health will also introduce the Active Health Management Suite (AHMS), which is a technological platform that can be integrated with health devices such as Fitbit and the Apple Watch.

The AHMS, which is currently still in the developmental phase and is expected to be unveiled at the end of the year, will also allow users to track and manage their lifestyle habits.

“The Active Health framework provides us with knowledge, ideas, tools and programmes to celebrate living at every life stage,” explained Lim.

“It is a long-term goal to encourage greater personal ownership of health.

“However, the strength of this framework lies in the hands of multi agencies coming together to cross share information, ideas and platforms.

“The big idea is to make it easy for everyone to embark on this fulfilling journey.”

To give Singaporeans an idea of how Active Health can benefit them, an Active Health Capsule will be open to public at the Padang from July 29 to Aug 8 as one of the key fixtures of the GetActive! Singapore - a week-long national day celebrations through sport. It will feature activities for individual’s self-awareness and deeper engagement, as well as, tips on how to adopt good health habits in everyday life.

For more information, go to www.activehealth.sg