SINGAPORE: Obesity continues to be on the rise in Singapore and many people are consuming more sodium, according to surveys by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Health Promotion Board (HPB).
The findings from MOH's National Population Health Survey 2022 and HPB's National Nutrition Survey 2022 were released on Wednesday (Sep 27).
MOH’s study tracked the health, risk factors and lifestyle practices of Singapore residents aged 18 to 74, from July 2021 to June 2022 and through self-reported household interviews and health examinations.
HPB’s survey monitored the dietary patterns and nutritional status of Singapore residents aged 18 to 69, from December 2021 to August 2022.
Results showed that the prevalence of obesity was 11.6 per cent in 2021-2022, up from 10.5 per cent in 2019-2020 and 8.6 per cent in 2013.
This increase was mainly observed among residents aged 18 to 29 and 40 to 59.
The proportion of residents engaging in sufficient physical activity - defined as at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity in a week - also dropped from 84.6 per cent in 2019 to 74.9 per cent in 2022. This was observed across most age groups, said MOH.
The ministry said this was likely due to reduced commuting as a result of hybrid work arrangements, which have yet to return to pre-COVID-19 levels.
Just like in 2019, commuting was the largest contributor to total physical activity, at 44 per cent.
This was followed by leisure-time activity such as sports and exercise at 32 per cent, and work-related activity such as household chores at 24.1 per cent.
The findings released on Wednesday also highlighted a near-doubling in the prevalence of hypertension, since 2010.
High blood pressure - described by MOH as a "long-term rising trend” - went from 19.8 per cent in 2010 to 35.5 per cent in 2019-2020 and 37 per cent in 2021-2022.
“This was observed even after adjusting for the effect of an ageing population,” the Health Ministry added.
Meanwhile, HPB's survey on nutrition found that the daily sodium intake of Singapore residents increased from 3,480mg in 2019 to 3,620mg in 2022.
Nine in 10 Singapore residents exceeded the daily recommended intake of less than 2,000mg or one teaspoon of salt, said HPB.
The key drivers behind about 80 per cent of sodium intake were added salt, sauces and seasonings in dishes such as porridge and meat and vegetable soups; gravy and sauce-based dishes such as mee rebus, laksa and curries; stir-fried dishes; fried rice, nasi lemak and chicken rice; as well as the salt added when manufacturing bread and noodles.
More food items today also contain more than the recommended 2,000mg of sodium per serving, said HPB.
On average, sodium content has increased by 22 per cent per dish from 2010 to 2023, survey results showed. This was due to increases in both portion size and sodium content per 100g of food, HPB added.
Last September, HPB encouraged people to switch from regular salt to lower-sodium alternatives.
The statutory board also said it aims to reduce Singapore’s sodium intake by about 15 per cent over the next five years, shaving off a quarter teaspoon of salt per person, per day.
MOH also announced last year at the Committee of Supply debates that it would introduce measures to curb sodium consumption.
It said at the time that HPB would work with suppliers and the food service sector to encourage the use of lower-sodium alternatives over regular salt in cooking
On Wednesday, MOH and HPB encouraged Singapore residents to use the Healthier Choice symbol to identify ingredients and food products with at least 25 per cent sodium reduction.
“When cooking, herbs, spices and umami ingredients can be used to add flavour to food, without too much salt or seasonings,” they said.
“When eating out, diners are advised to look out for stores with the Healthier Choice identifier, and ask for less gravy, sauces or soup, as these tend to be high in sodium.”
In the retail sector, one in four sauce and seasoning products are lower in sodium currently. Over in food service, nine sauce suppliers and three salt suppliers are supplying lower-sodium ingredients to close to 800 eateries, said HPB, adding that more would come onboard in the approaching months.
HPB’s National Nutrition Survey further found that Singapore residents are eating more, with their mean calorie intake increasing from 2,360kcal in 2019 to 2,410kcal in 2022.
About 61 per cent of residents exceeded the recommended intake, which is estimated based on an individual's age, gender, weight and level of physical activity. This was up from 55 per cent in 2019.
Energy-dense food items and beverages such as fried food, convenience food and desserts made up 60 per cent of total calories consumed, results showed.
Overall diet composition was also lower in carbohydrates and higher in fat, with total dietary fat intake increasing from 94g in 2019 to 100g in 2022. Of this, 36 per cent consisted of saturated fat, exceeding the recommendation of no more than 30 per cent.
On the other hand, total sugar intake dropped from 60g in 2018 - prior to the announcement of the Nutri-Grade labelling and advertisement prohibition measures - to 56g in 2022.
About 67 per cent of residents in 2022 were within the recommended maximum sugar allowance of no more than 10 per cent of daily total energy intake or 10 teaspoons of sugar, compared with 61 per cent in 2019.
This improvement was driven by changes in the pre-packaged drink industry, said HPB, pointing to new lower-sugar options in the market, higher-sugar ones being reformulated to lower-sugar alternatives, and higher-sugar drinks exiting the market.
The survey also showed that sugar-sweetened beverages remain the single biggest source of dietary sugar, contributing 52 per cent of intake.
Intake of sugar from freshly prepared drinks remained the same. Nutri-Grade labelling and advertisement prohibition measures will be extended to freshly prepared beverages by the end of this year.
The prevalence of daily smoking decreased from 10.6 per cent in 2019 to 9.2 per cent in 2022, continuing the trend of declining smoking rates over the past decade, according to MOH's survey.
Decreases were observed among younger residents aged 18 to 39.
Meanwhile, the prevalence of poor mental health worsened from 13.4 per cent in 2020 to 17 per cent in 2022. Younger adults aged 18 to 29 had the highest proportion of poor mental health, the results showed.
At the same time, there was an observed increase in help-seeking behaviour for residents unable to cope with stress.
About 56.6 per cent of Singapore residents were willing to seek help from health professionals in 2022 - slightly lower than 58.3 per cent in 2021 but higher than 47.8 per cent in 2019.
The proportion of residents willing to seek help from informal support networks such as friends and family rose to 79.7 per cent in 2022, from 69.1 per cent in 2021 and 74.5 per cent in 2019.
In a press release on Wednesday, MOH and HPB noted that an interagency taskforce was developing a national strategy to strengthen the mental health and well-being of the population.
In addition, efforts to improve mental health literacy and awareness of mental health services are ongoing, they added.
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The findings from MOH's National Population Health Survey 2022 and HPB's National Nutrition Survey 2022 were released on Wednesday (Sep 27).
MOH’s study tracked the health, risk factors and lifestyle practices of Singapore residents aged 18 to 74, from July 2021 to June 2022 and through self-reported household interviews and health examinations.
HPB’s survey monitored the dietary patterns and nutritional status of Singapore residents aged 18 to 69, from December 2021 to August 2022.
Results showed that the prevalence of obesity was 11.6 per cent in 2021-2022, up from 10.5 per cent in 2019-2020 and 8.6 per cent in 2013.
This increase was mainly observed among residents aged 18 to 29 and 40 to 59.
The proportion of residents engaging in sufficient physical activity - defined as at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity in a week - also dropped from 84.6 per cent in 2019 to 74.9 per cent in 2022. This was observed across most age groups, said MOH.
The ministry said this was likely due to reduced commuting as a result of hybrid work arrangements, which have yet to return to pre-COVID-19 levels.
Just like in 2019, commuting was the largest contributor to total physical activity, at 44 per cent.
This was followed by leisure-time activity such as sports and exercise at 32 per cent, and work-related activity such as household chores at 24.1 per cent.
Related:
HYPERTENSION, SODIUM INTAKE ON THE RISE
The findings released on Wednesday also highlighted a near-doubling in the prevalence of hypertension, since 2010.
High blood pressure - described by MOH as a "long-term rising trend” - went from 19.8 per cent in 2010 to 35.5 per cent in 2019-2020 and 37 per cent in 2021-2022.
“This was observed even after adjusting for the effect of an ageing population,” the Health Ministry added.
Meanwhile, HPB's survey on nutrition found that the daily sodium intake of Singapore residents increased from 3,480mg in 2019 to 3,620mg in 2022.
Nine in 10 Singapore residents exceeded the daily recommended intake of less than 2,000mg or one teaspoon of salt, said HPB.
The key drivers behind about 80 per cent of sodium intake were added salt, sauces and seasonings in dishes such as porridge and meat and vegetable soups; gravy and sauce-based dishes such as mee rebus, laksa and curries; stir-fried dishes; fried rice, nasi lemak and chicken rice; as well as the salt added when manufacturing bread and noodles.
More food items today also contain more than the recommended 2,000mg of sodium per serving, said HPB.
On average, sodium content has increased by 22 per cent per dish from 2010 to 2023, survey results showed. This was due to increases in both portion size and sodium content per 100g of food, HPB added.
Last September, HPB encouraged people to switch from regular salt to lower-sodium alternatives.
The statutory board also said it aims to reduce Singapore’s sodium intake by about 15 per cent over the next five years, shaving off a quarter teaspoon of salt per person, per day.
MOH also announced last year at the Committee of Supply debates that it would introduce measures to curb sodium consumption.
It said at the time that HPB would work with suppliers and the food service sector to encourage the use of lower-sodium alternatives over regular salt in cooking
On Wednesday, MOH and HPB encouraged Singapore residents to use the Healthier Choice symbol to identify ingredients and food products with at least 25 per cent sodium reduction.
“When cooking, herbs, spices and umami ingredients can be used to add flavour to food, without too much salt or seasonings,” they said.
“When eating out, diners are advised to look out for stores with the Healthier Choice identifier, and ask for less gravy, sauces or soup, as these tend to be high in sodium.”
In the retail sector, one in four sauce and seasoning products are lower in sodium currently. Over in food service, nine sauce suppliers and three salt suppliers are supplying lower-sodium ingredients to close to 800 eateries, said HPB, adding that more would come onboard in the approaching months.
Related:
CALORIES UP, SUGAR DOWN
HPB’s National Nutrition Survey further found that Singapore residents are eating more, with their mean calorie intake increasing from 2,360kcal in 2019 to 2,410kcal in 2022.
About 61 per cent of residents exceeded the recommended intake, which is estimated based on an individual's age, gender, weight and level of physical activity. This was up from 55 per cent in 2019.
Energy-dense food items and beverages such as fried food, convenience food and desserts made up 60 per cent of total calories consumed, results showed.
Overall diet composition was also lower in carbohydrates and higher in fat, with total dietary fat intake increasing from 94g in 2019 to 100g in 2022. Of this, 36 per cent consisted of saturated fat, exceeding the recommendation of no more than 30 per cent.
On the other hand, total sugar intake dropped from 60g in 2018 - prior to the announcement of the Nutri-Grade labelling and advertisement prohibition measures - to 56g in 2022.
About 67 per cent of residents in 2022 were within the recommended maximum sugar allowance of no more than 10 per cent of daily total energy intake or 10 teaspoons of sugar, compared with 61 per cent in 2019.
This improvement was driven by changes in the pre-packaged drink industry, said HPB, pointing to new lower-sugar options in the market, higher-sugar ones being reformulated to lower-sugar alternatives, and higher-sugar drinks exiting the market.
The survey also showed that sugar-sweetened beverages remain the single biggest source of dietary sugar, contributing 52 per cent of intake.
Intake of sugar from freshly prepared drinks remained the same. Nutri-Grade labelling and advertisement prohibition measures will be extended to freshly prepared beverages by the end of this year.
Related:
WORSENING MENTAL HEALTH, BUT WILLING TO SEEK HELP
The prevalence of daily smoking decreased from 10.6 per cent in 2019 to 9.2 per cent in 2022, continuing the trend of declining smoking rates over the past decade, according to MOH's survey.
Decreases were observed among younger residents aged 18 to 39.
Meanwhile, the prevalence of poor mental health worsened from 13.4 per cent in 2020 to 17 per cent in 2022. Younger adults aged 18 to 29 had the highest proportion of poor mental health, the results showed.
At the same time, there was an observed increase in help-seeking behaviour for residents unable to cope with stress.
About 56.6 per cent of Singapore residents were willing to seek help from health professionals in 2022 - slightly lower than 58.3 per cent in 2021 but higher than 47.8 per cent in 2019.
The proportion of residents willing to seek help from informal support networks such as friends and family rose to 79.7 per cent in 2022, from 69.1 per cent in 2021 and 74.5 per cent in 2019.
In a press release on Wednesday, MOH and HPB noted that an interagency taskforce was developing a national strategy to strengthen the mental health and well-being of the population.
In addition, efforts to improve mental health literacy and awareness of mental health services are ongoing, they added.
Continue reading...