Impact of Health Communication Campaigns on Health Behaviors in Singapore

2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 85-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kavita Karan

The government of Singapore established the Health Promotion Board (HPB) in 2001 with an annual budget close to S$100 million to drive its health promotion and disease prevention programs. This article reviews the social marketing efforts of the HPB, in particular those campaigns related to healthy lifestyle during 2003–2006. A computer-assisted telephone interview survey conducted on over 300 Singaporeans reveals the impact of these campaigns on patterns of health awareness, health consciousness, risk perception, knowledge, and motivation that lead to adoption or nonadoption of prescribed disease prevention and health improvement practices. The survey found that while awareness of HPB campaigns is at a medium range among the respondents, a majority of those exposed to the campaigns have been influenced to adapt behaviors that lead to a healthy lifestyle.

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-145
Author(s):  
Sheena Chhabra ◽  
Apurva Bakshi ◽  
Ravineet Kaur

Nutraceuticals have been around for quite some time. As the nomenclature suggests, they are placed somewhere between food (nutra-) and medicine (-ceuticals) in terms of their impact on human health. Researches have focused on the impact of various types of nutraceuticals on health, their efficacy in health promotion and disease prevention, and often on suitable uses of certain categories of nutraceuticals for specific health issues. However, we are still far from utilizing the immense potential of nutraceuticals for benefiting human health in a substantial manner. We review the available scholarly literature regarding the role of nutraceuticals in health promotion, their efficacy in disease prevention and the perception of nutraceuticals' health benefits by consumers. Thereafter we analyze the need for regulation of nutraceuticals and various provisions regarding the same.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 132
Author(s):  
Marta Sajdakowska ◽  
Jerzy Gębski ◽  
Marzena Jeżewska-Zychowicz ◽  
Maria Królak

The aim of the current study was two-fold: (1) to identify consumer segments based on bread selection motives and (2) to examine differences between the identified segments in terms of perception of bread and bread with added fiber, and information on the food label. The data were collected using a CAPI (computer-assisted personal interview) survey on a sample of 1013 consumers. The k-means clustering method was used to identify four clusters of consumers, namely, Enthusiastic, Involved, Ultra-Involved, and Neutral. The Enthusiastic was the group that expressed the most positive opinions about the bread and about the addition of fiber to white bread. Moreover, they appreciated the most the information placed on the bread label. On the other hand, the Ultra-Involved and the Involved presented moderate opinions on these issues. In contrast, the consumers from the Neutral segment agreed the least with the opinion that white bread fortified with fiber is healthier and more expensive compared to white bread without added fiber. Consumers belonging to the Enthusiastic segment declared, to a greater extent than others, that cereal products with added fiber facilitate a healthy lifestyle and can reduce the adverse effects of an inadequate diet. The obtained results indicated that relatively positive opinions on the addition of fiber to white bread, including its benefits for health, are an opportunity to further develop the market of cereal products with added fiber. However, the information about bread on the label and its readability should meet the expectations of consumers who differ significantly in terms of their motives for choice. Both now and in the future, this aspect will be a challenge for food entrepreneurs and organizations that are engaged in the education and development of information aimed at consumers.


POPULATION ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-124
Author(s):  
Natalia S. Grigorieva ◽  
Tatiana V. Сhubarova

The article discusses the gender aspects of health, proceeding from the assumption that taking them into account is likely to increase the effectiveness of motivational measures in the field of forming healthy lifestyles. The methodological basis of this paper is the concept of health promotion supported by WHO that is based on intersectoral and interdisciplinary approaches. It incorporates both a certain system of values, primarily active involvement of people in maintaining their health, and a set of state activities, among which motivating people to healthy lifestyles is important. Behavioral economics as an area of an interdisciplinary research on decision-making substantiates the mechanisms that should be used, among other things, to achieve the goals of healthcare policy, and to solve such problems of modern society as lack of physical activity, tobacco and alcohol abuse, and unhealthy diet.Gender approach that includes gender aspects in the process of analyzing the situation and making political decisions aimed at improving population health becomes a precondition for increasing the effectiveness of motivational measures taken in the interests of promoting the health of citizens. The results of the surveys on the impact of behavioral factors on the health status of the population of Russia conducted by the Russian statistical agency (Rosstat) in 2013 and 2018 were used as a source of empirical data. They made it possible to identify both the differences and the similarities of women and men with regard to behavior motives concerning certain parameters of a healthy lifestyle, namely physical activities and diet. The authors conclude that, despite the importance of using measures aimed at changing behavior, sustainable overcoming of gender stereotypes depends on the intersection of behavioral and socio-economic determinants of health and healthy behavior.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinh Duc Nguyen ◽  
Long Nguyen ◽  
Hoai Xuan Nguyen ◽  
Minh Binh Tran

Abstract Planning social tasks are essential jobs of every organization, business, and government. With increasing challenges of society, the organization and effective implementation depend on optimizing the plans of the organization and efficient operations of the professional teams in order, time, and specific requirements. In the context of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social activities, developing strategies for the organization and operation of working teams in implementing disease prevention, control, and elimination are research issues that should be raised. This paper model the plan to organize and operate the social-mission working group problem with a multi-objective approach. The problem includes organizing and planning the health workforce to perform tasks in epidemic prevention and implementing guidelines of the Ministry of Health under the administration of the government. These pose a requirement to balance resources, medical equipment, and ancillary equipment to perform tasks according to different priority levels: disease prevention; vaccination; sterilization, isolation, treatment by different locations, and time to ensure effectiveness. The problem is modeled by approaching the multi-objective optimization with three objectives: makespan, performance efficiency, and rate of human resource usage. We also propose a guidance technique to improve the surrogate-assisted multi-objective optimization algorithms on analyzing the factors that influence finding solutions and maintain a balance between local exploration and global exploitation. The enhanced algorithms confirm the proposed model for social tasks against the COVID-19 pandemic.


Author(s):  
Kim Aikens ◽  
Shauna Shapiro

This chapter discusses mindfulness as it applies to integrative preventive medicine. Defining mindfulness as the awareness that arises through intentionally attending in an open, caring, and discerning way, the chapter proposes three core mindfulness elements: intention, attention, and attitude. It explores the potential application of mindfulness to primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. The chapter looks at the impact of mindfulness on health promotion and examines mindfulness as a secondary prevention strategy, particularly in hypertension and diabetes. It then addresses tertiary prevention and the impact of mindfulness in chronic disease. Lastly, mindfulness as a preventive strategy for psychological well-being is explored. Overall, there is strong evidence suggesting that mindfulness is positively associated with healthy lifestyle as well as improvements in depressive symptoms, stress, anxiety, quality of life, physical outcomes, and positive psychological health.


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