Trends and Observations in Fitness and Well Being in Singapore

1. Trends and Observations of Fitness and Well Being in Singapore
In the recent months, there has been a spotlight being shown the topics of individual fitness and well being in Singapore. This position is not "Uniquely Singapore as many countries all over the world have been noted to be spreading this same message en masse. Not that it is
surprising, since unhealthy diets and increasing stress levels have been linked closely with the modern and urban lifestyle. This has attributed to sedentary lifestyles and on-the-go schedules, where holidays are taken in a haste to return back to a mountain of work and the rat
cycle continues. As most know, a large contributing factor is what we eat and drink and whatever others we put into our system will eventually come back to haunt us. I recently heard of an interesting thought - that having a well thought out and nutritious diet is actually
preventive and prescriptive medication in nature that in fact help us to live with a much well and improved system. The public and governments all around the world can now no longer ignore the fact that the costs/budgets required to substantiate the healthcare systems as well
as their population if they do not start to do something about it now. This is also compounded by the fact that the world population is aging and the costs will never climb on a downward trend.
In the case of Singapore, it is the same. The Government have launched a multi pronged approach to ensure appropriate systems are in place and that feedback is sought on the viability of programs as well as more urgent and immediate needs. One strategy is the consolidated
efforts of the sport authority and the health promotion authority in collaboration with the community. Several activities that cater to various interests have sprouted out in community centers, parks and even shopping malls to attract and retain the interest of the public. They are
often provided by small to medium fitness companies that also provides them with the incentive to innovate and offer different activities of different levels at each stage of the program At the same time, information on participation is being collected to collect demographic and form
profiles of the participants in their various age groups and locations. This eventually will form the perception of the type of activities, timing and preferences for such activities - which will prove to be highly useful. One long term plan is also to bring sports and fitness facilities
nearer to the community as shown through mega infrastructure projects such as Our Tampines Hub. The approach is a holistic one as one may do their grocery shopping, visit the library, pay their utilities bill and at the same time participate in a leisure activity or two. The
thinking behind the integrated facility is a wise one - the community and bringing people together. It is not rocket science to say that the social element is a critical one when we consider new adoption and behavioral adjustments in lifestyle.
From the health ministry perspective, the approach is to focus efforts in the next few years in the primary care segment. Right now, healthcare is clustered into the various regional healthcare and tiered from general hospital, community hospital and polyclinics. Part of the
masterplan is to link this regional systems with the general practitioners as well as a centralised healthcare information portal to make the healthcare eco system more seamless. Whilst the details of this proposed arrangement is still in the works, it makes more sense to have a
more ground up and community approach to suit the preventive health care model approach. The general idea of defusing the heavy demands at the higher tiers of healthcare will allow manpower and facility costs to go downwards. Not to mention the potential for new healthcare
business models to be built up from the private sector to cater to a more affordable and cost effective to take care of the community and individual's own health. An individual's medical expenditure will also decrease in view of more health ownership and data being made available
to make lifestyle modifications. This by itself is an exciting step towards the convergence of technology with healthcare. The connected home is already an existing model and private healthcare providers have also been stepping up their game to offer more comprehensive
services. The next development may very well see the insurance industry taking advantage of this new space to provide coverage. And we have already seen that happen to the workplace health promotion and safety recently. There should be no stopping the same thing
happening to the individual consumer market, given the right price and perhaps some support from the government.
One observation is the current market gap in the number of qualified and trained personnel in the area of senior healthcare and rehabilitation. There would be a need for a group of facilitators armed with the necessary knowledge of seniors to influence a change at the community
level. There is currently no authority or body that advocate on the correct profile and required skills to facilitate this at the local community levels. Whilst existing fitness instructors may have the relevant certification, they are ill prepared for participants who may have multiple
chronic conditions. With participants in a higher age category, this may also mean higher risk of injury and fatigue/exhaustion. The current practice of obtaining a medical doctor's approval is cumbersome and may come with certain caveats. Other good capabilities to haves are;
the ability to communicate well with seniors, able to instruct on simple rehab exercises, advise on basic day to day nutritional advice and simple coaching and counseling skills. The approach will be a holistic one as seniors would require well being coaching on top of keeping a
physically active lifestyle. It is the hope that with technology like tele medicine, some form of a healthcare coach may take shape and even create a new area of opportunity for fitness and well being professionals for the industry.
On a final note, the fact that Singapore size and its ability to push through changes for the population quickly is one of the key qualities that allows its plans to be executed out smoothly. While it may be preliminary to say how successful or well received the programs are, what is
exciting is the model may be similarly replicated in urban cities around the world. This would ultimately mean that the formula to reach out to masses to live a healthy and active lifestyle through active interventions and technology may be referenced and tweaked accordingly.