Singapore healthy living master plan

Media Release Essay

3

Please include at least 8 references (APA intext style).
In the media release please provide the CEO's name of the with at least 2 quotes (you can make up the quotes) however make sure the CEO's name is from either the health promotion board or diabetic society of Singapore (you can only choose one client). As seen in the Assignment question TOPIC file. You must also pick one target audience, either adults, caregivers or medical practitioners.
On top of the essay please mention this clearly.
Eg: The selected client: HPB/DSS
The selected target audience: Adults/Caregivers/Medical practitioners

Background of Diabetes in Singapore

Singapore has one of the highest incidences of diabetes among developed countries,

second only to the United States.

Among adults aged 18 to 69, 11 per cent - or one in nine - is diabetic. In 1998, it was

9 per cent. Among older people, the incidence is even higher. Today, an estimated 450,000 adults here have diabetes, an illness that is a major risk factor for other serious medical problems such as heart attacks, stroke, blindness, gangrene resulting in amputations, and kidney failure requiring either a transplant or lifelong dialysis.

Another 12 to 15 per cent suffer from pre-diabetes. Of them, generally one in three

will become diabetic within eight years. The incidence of diabetes is highest among Indians, with 17.2 per cent of adults affected. This is followed by Malays (16.6 per cent) and Chinese (9.7 per cent).

If nothing is done, the number of diabetics under 70 here is expected to rise to

670,000 by 2030 and to one million by 2050. Diabetes is expensive. It already costs the country about $1 billion a year - and the figure is expected to climb to $1.8 billion by 2050.

(adapted from The Straits Times, ‘National Day Rally: 3 Key Issues. Singapore’s war on Diabetes, Aug 20th 2017)

Objective of Media Coverage

You have been tasked to prepare a Portfolio supporting this issue, to formulate some key findings for your client. As such, you have a choice of 2 clients –

a) Health Promotion Board, Singapore (HPB)

Established in 2001, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) is a government organisation committed to promoting healthy living in Singapore. HPB is a credible and authoritative source of evidence-based health information that seeks to empower the Singapore public with knowledge and skills to take ownership of their health and live a healthy lifestyle.

HPB empowers the Singapore public to embrace life fully through a wide range of health promotion and disease prevention programmes. These include health and dental services for school children, workplace health programmes and physical activity programmes, to name a few. They also work with the community and initiate new programmes over time to address their health concerns.

By 2020, HPB aims to enable Singaporeans to have access to healthy living at the doorstep of every home, school and workplace through the Healthy Living Master Plan, thus making healthy living natural and effortless for Singapore.

Visit https://www.hpb.gov.sg for more information.

b) Diabetes Society of Singapore (DSS)

The DSS is a non- profit organisation formed by Dr Frederick Tan Bock Yam in 1998, This centre has helped facilitate access to services for the residents in Jurong, such as counselling, health education, checks on blood sugar and cholesterol.

In September 2006, a spanking new centre – more aptly named South-West Diabetes and Education Care Centre - was unveiled after the addition of a new resource and activity area to accommodate more information materials, workshops and programmes. In 2002, a second centre was set up in another strategic location. Dr Lee Boon Yang officially opened the Central Singapore Diabetes Education & Care Centre at Boon Keng Road.

Education has always been the key objective of the society. Its quarterly publication, DMLife, was recently revamped in October 2006 to usher in Diabetes Singapore – so called to reflect its growing role as the voice of diabetes in Singapore. The publication continues to be distributed free to all members and will focus on lifestyle changes, diabetes self-care skills and topical news on diabetes. The Society organises public forums six to seven times a year at hotels. They are conducted by leading local specialists and visiting experts and have been well-attended and well-received by the public. Such forums – which are conducted in English, Mandarin, Malay or Tamil - have successfully reached out to people of all races and all walks of life.

Visit www.diabetes.org.sg for more information.

Target Audience for the Message

There are 3 possible target audience for the key messages of this portfolio. You may choose one for this report.

a) Adults

b) Caregivers

c) Medical Practitioners