# Are Singaporeans health focus?



## wuiwui (Aug 13, 2013)

Are Singaporeans health focus in general?


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## beppi (Jun 10, 2013)

No:
Too much food (of good quality but dubious health content) and a widespread lack of excercise!


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

I'm going to disagree with you on that one, Beppi. "Too much food" combined with a "lack of exercise" would yield obesity. Yet that's not a big problem in Singapore, at least not so far. Mean BMIs in Singapore are quite low at only 22.7. Average life expectancies in Singapore are also very high.

Are Singaporeans health focused in general was, I think, the question. I'd say yes. The standard of medical care is excellent, and Singaporeans tend to take advantage of preventive care. There's a keen awareness of disease prevention, notably Dengue Fever. Singaporeans tend to plan all their financial affairs, including their Medisave accounts. Workplace awareness of health issues is keen -- certainly my employer bombards us with health-related materials and various opportunities to participate in exercise programs, diet programs, etc. Smoking is very actively discouraged (and successfully so). Traditional medicines, acupuncture, and related services are very popular. Most Singaporean men participate in National Service which requires a great deal of physical exercise. Most food stall markets have at least one "healthy alternative" food seller, and vegetarianism is very common. The vast majority of Singaporeans don't have cars, so at least they walk a bit, at a minimum.


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## asublimepizza (Sep 5, 2013)

Au contraire, Singapore is prone especially to coronary heart diseases, stroke, diabetes and hypertension. ( No thanks to our PR possibly G man who appears to sing praises over many a thing ), here is a Government web site which is for once, not entirely inaccurate.

Ministry of Health
Singapore Health Facts | Ministry of Health

I used to work as consultant on metabolic syndrome, namely Diabetes healthcare. Much of local food are sugar in nature, Rice, pasta, noodles and so on. You will be hard pressed for much vegetarian food or meat, which is odd considering the historical cultural religious slant.

Exercise is not the norm here; shopping and eating are. Exercise is mainly an expat thing and locals who have lived abroad. With work culture here, it is somewhere between Japan Tokyu and HongKong, with dragging feet to pass time that the Boss sees you are in the office, therefore working. Even at the Big 4, staff who are lucky to get gym pass use it mainly for shower due to late work hours. Expats in a different department within the Big 4, tend go home earlier more frequently, unless they are the Partners.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Well, OK, but Singaporeans (statistically speaking) aren't obese and live a very long time (and with comparatively low rates of disability). You're perhaps talking about diet focus or exercise focus which are (maybe) means to an end (health). Are Singaporeans health focused? I'd say unquestionably yes.

To pick another example, the French drink too much, smoke too much, and eat all the food that's supposed to be bad. But...they live a long time and with comparatively high quality of life. Are the French focused on, say, cutting down on alcohol consumption? Not so much. Are they focused on actual health? I'd say yes.


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## Gateway (Oct 1, 2013)

I think people here tend to eat healthily, organic foods are flying off the shelves.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Yes, I'm kind of puzzled by this "Singaporeans don't eat healthy foods" assertion. (The French don't, yet who's living long and healthy lives?)

To overgeneralize, Singaporeans:

1. Walk, don't drive;
2. Eat very little meat;
3. Aren't overweight (meaning they tend to eat in moderation, and a little bit at a time over long periods);
4. Don't consume much alcohol;
5. Don't smoke.

OK, so some of the food popular at hawker markets contains salt and fat. Bear in mind that the Japanese love salty foods but also live longer than anybody. Also, who said that fatty foods are unhealthy? Fish oils, for example, everybody seems to agree are wonderful. And if you're not overweight and otherwise have no health issues, eating french fries once in a while isn't unhealthy. Mackerel is rather popular in the hawker markets and is a wonderful food, but a lot of hawker food contains various fish products rich in fish oil. It tends to get used as a sort of condiment in Singapore. Green leafy vegetables are extremely common, too, and widely recognized as healthy foods. The supermarkets and wet markets devote considerable space to a large variety of green leafy vegetables.

There's also plenty of sunshine (for Vitamin D). Fresh fruit is very popular in the hawker markets and elsewhere -- and without added sugar. It's not at all uncommon for people to buy carrot-watermelon juice (or whatever) -- practically every hawker market has a juice bar, and it's popular. All kinds of teas are very popular beverages, and tea is good stuff, too. Green tea, jasmine tea, exceedingly strong pulled tea -- all good stuff, all popular. Tofu is extremely popular in many different forms. The common herbs and spices -- chili peppers, garlic, onion, etc. -- are generally very beneficial, too. The ever-popular family steamboat? Healthy stuff.

Anyway, there's a lot to like from a health standpoint about the food options that are common and popular in Singapore. More importantly, though obesity is probably a growing problem everywhere, it's not such a big problem in Singapore yet. It's perfectly OK to enjoy a piece of cake once in a while if you're not overweight. "Everything in moderation."


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## asublimepizza (Sep 5, 2013)

Gateway said:


> I think people here tend to eat healthily, organic foods are flying off the shelves.


You must be a supplier or someone involved in the supply chain or someone with disposable income not eating local breakfast, nicely greased. . which the dietitians at the Singapore Generql Hospital generally see much of such patients. A Singaporean who does not eat like one tend to be expatiate, have a high disposable income or have lived abroad sufficiently to consider health over current and future pocket finances.


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## deanclark (Aug 10, 2012)

I feel Singaporean food is healthy. But people loved to take care about health. They do exercise to stay fit. Young generation is takes more care about fitness.


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