Centres offering exercise screenings and programmes to be rolled out islandwide
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Felicia Choo
SINGAPORE - Centres where members of the public can get free and chargeable exercise screenings, exercise programmes and healthy food and drinks will be progressively rolled out to all sports centres in Singapore, said Sport Singapore chief executive Lim Teck Yin on Friday (July 28).
The first prototype, called an Active Health Lab, will open at Our Tampines Hub on Aug 6 and will run till the end of the year.
Healthcare professionals from Changi General Hospital (CGH) and the Exercise is Medicine Singapore (EIMS) programme have trained health ambassadors at the lab, who will conduct the screenings.
The lab is part of a new initiative called Active Health by Sport Singapore and its healthcare partners to get more people to take charge of their own health through sport and fitness.
Two other labs will be set up next year, including one at Bedok.
A similar lab will be piloted at Alexandra Hospital by the National University Health System (NUHS) in September next year (2018).
The Active Centre will provide exercise therapy for patients from the hospital's chronic and metabolic disease clinics, to complement conventional medical treatment. Clinicians, exercise physicians and trainers will conduct the risk and assessment tests for patients, who will also be monitored by doctors.
Another lab by the National Healthcare Group Polyclinics (NHGP) is in the works at Sembawang Sports and Community Hub.
Sport Singapore on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Health Promotion Board, SingHealth, CGH, EIMS, NHGP and NUHS.
The scheme will be complemented by a technological platform, which can be integrated with health devices such as the Fitbit and Apple watch, to be launched at the end of next year. Users will be able to track and manage their and family members' lifestyle habits, as well as access Active Health coaches, and health and wellness content and programmes.
Besides Active Health, other initiatives to encourage Singaporeans to keep healthy and fit include ActiveSG, a national movement for sport launched three years ago (2014) by Sport Singapore, and NurtureSG, a task force set up to encourage young people to adopt healthier habits.
