Press Releases
Supporting Health and Well-Being Across Every Life Stage
7 March 2025
To keep Singaporeans healthy and well, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has invested in population health efforts such as Grow Well SG, Healthier SG and Age Well SG to inculcate healthy habits early and improve longer-term health outcomes. We will also continue to build up our mental health ecosystem under the National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and enhance health promotion efforts to make it easier for all to adopt healthier lifestyles.
Starting Early for Better Health with Grow Well SG
2. Local and international evidence has shown the association between poor lifestyle behaviours – including excessive screen time, insufficient physical activity, poor nutrition, and inadequate sleep – and their impact on children’s health and well-being. To address this, MOH, the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Social and Family Development jointly launched Grow Well SG in January 2025, a new national health promotion strategy to enhance preventive care and inculcate healthier lifestyles in children and adolescents.
3. Grow Well SG emphasises early intervention in four key areas which are important for child development – sleep, exercise, eating and device usage. Building strong family bonds and social connections with friends is also key to reinforcing healthy habits in children.
[NEW] Expansion of the Health Plan to Primary 4 and Primary 5 students
4. To raise awareness and adoption of healthy habits, MOH has rolled out a personalised Health Plan for every child as part of the Health Promotion Board’s (HPB) annual School Health Screening programme, starting with Primary 1 to 3 students from January 2025. To date, 22,000 Primary 1 to Primary 3 students have received and completed their Health Plan, and the remaining will be completed before the end of 2025. To benefit more students, we will pilot the expansion of the Health Plans to Primary 4 and Primary 5 students later this year, before considering full implementation in 2026.
[NEW] Rollout of the Childhood Health Behaviours Checklist
5. MOH will also enhance support for parents and caregivers of younger children. From 2 May 2025, we will introduce a new Childhood Health Behaviours Checklist (CHBC) at Childhood Developmental Screening (CDS) visits for children aged up to six years at all polyclinics, General Practitioner and paediatric clinics. The CHBC comprises questions that cover the four healthy habits, which will be used at the CDS visits to identify children at risk of developmental delay, so that early interventions can be made.
6. We recognise that building and sustaining healthy habits among children is not an easy task, especially for parents and caregivers balancing work, family and other responsibilities. The government is working to provide a supportive environment and additional practical resources to help parents and caregivers initiate and make changes to their children’s lifestyles.
7. While most parents and caregivers welcome these moves and want to be actively involved in their children’s health, they may face challenges in meeting the guidelines on screen use or face resistance when introducing new healthy habits. Their children’s Health Plans include personalised recommendations on actionable steps and links to relevant resources, such as Healthy 365 for healthy lifestyle programmes, and the Parent Hub website for tips on building healthy habits.
8. For parents and caregivers with younger children, the CHBC provides weblinks and QR codes at the end of each checklist, for additional insights and tips related to each lifestyle domain. Healthcare providers can also use these resources to address parents and caregivers’ concerns.
9. Parents and caregivers seeking help in managing screen use can find information on the Parenting for Wellness website (opens in new tab) on Parent Hub and the Digital for Life portal (opens in new tab). These resources offer guidance on managing screen use and building stronger relationships with their children in this digital age.
Encouraging Active Ageing
10. We continue to make good progress in the rollout of Age Well SG, a national initiative led by MOH, the Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Transport, that supports seniors to age actively, stay socially connected and be cared for within the community. The government has set aside $3.5 billion for this effort over the next decade.
11. Central to the Age Well SG strategy is the network of Active Ageing Centres (AACs) which serve as key nodes for seniors to remain socially engaged and physically active. Since the launch of Age Well SG in November 2023, we have added 69 AACs island-wide, bringing the total number of AACs from 154 to 223 in March 2025. We have surpassed our commitment of 220 AACs by end-2025 and will continue to work on expanding our AAC networks.
12. AACs have also widened their programme offerings to meet the diverse interests of seniors. Examples of innovative and unique programmes delivered by AACs include robotics, producing podcasts, and e-sports gaming. Almost all AACs now offer programmes in at least four out of five domains (social, physical, cognitive, learning and volunteerism).
13. About nine in 10 AACs have Cluster Community Health Posts either at their AAC or close by, where health services for seniors are made more accessible through multi-disciplinary community health teams.
Promoting Senior Volunteerism
14. We continue to encourage seniors to remain meaningfully engaged by volunteering at the AACs. Since the launch of the Silver Guardian Programme in April last year, the Silver Generation Office (SGO) has recruited and placed over 1,400 Silver Guardians to diverse volunteering opportunities at the AACs. Silver Guardians can organise active ageing programmes, such as preparing meals for communal dining with other seniors, or connect with seniors who are at risk of social isolation through befriending or buddying. We are on track to recruit 2,400 Silver Guardians by 2028.
Building a Senior-Friendly Living Environment
15. We have also expanded housing options for seniors. The first Community Care Apartment (CCA) at Harmony Village @ Bukit Batok was completed in October 2024. Seniors can age in the community in a senior-friendly accommodation paired with the support of a community manager who will facilitate on-site social activities and care services that can be customised according to the seniors’ care needs. If this model of care provision proves to be effective and scalable, we will launch up to 30 CCA projects by 2030.
16. Commuting, especially within the local neighbourhood, is part of the daily living experience of our seniors. The Friendly Streets initiative was introduced to make neighbourhood roads more pedestrian-friendly, with features such as more barrier-free crossings, more road humps and raised zebra crossings to slow down traffic, and longer and more frequent green-man signals. By 2030, the Friendly Streets initiative will be expanded to all towns. All five Friendly Streets pilots have been completed. Community engagements for the 10 sites announced at COS 2024 have also completed and construction works will progressively commence this year.
Strengthening Support for Seniors with Care Needs
[NEW] Mainstreaming Shared Stay-in Senior Care Services
17. To better support families with caregiving needs amidst shrinking family sizes and provide more options for seniors to age confidently in the community, we launched the Shared Stay-in Senior Care Services Sandbox over a year ago. Under this pilot, a caregiver assists a group of seniors with their activities of daily living and social programmes in a shared premises, similar to how families would provide caregiving for their loved ones. Participating companies enjoy work pass flexibilities within the sandbox, such as additional foreign worker quota and more options to hire from other countries, to support them in determining a sustainable model of manpower deployment to care for seniors round-the-clock.
18. In engagement with providers, next-of-kin and senior clients, we have received positive feedback regarding how the sandbox offers an alternative caregiving option for families while supporting seniors to age within the community.
19. Therefore, with the support of the Ministry of Manpower and Agency for Integrated Care, we will mainstream the sandbox and extend work pass flexibilities to new companies intending to provide such a service. We will also publish a guide to educate service providers, families and seniors on the recommended good practices when providing or seeking such a service. Interested companies can look forward to the application details and good practice guide from the second half of 2025.
Roll-out of Integrated Community Care Provider
20. To achieve a more seamless care journey, we are working with long-term care service providers to come together to form an Integrated Community Care Provider (ICCP) in each sub-region. The ICCP will oversee long-term care coordination for seniors in that sub-region, and serve as a dedicated point of contact for seniors requiring long-term care services. Seniors who require multiple care services, such as Home Therapy, Enhanced Home Personal Care and Day Care services will no longer have to interact with multiple care providers and undergo repeated assessments by each provider. Seniors will receive a standardised care assessment and have one holistic long-term care plan across services to improve coordination of care across service providers. This approach also enables providers to optimise the use of resources, including space and manpower across different services.
21. Starting this year, providers in some sub-regions will form partnerships with one another as part of the ICCP model. Seniors in these sub-regions will have access to more joint programmes run by the providers. In addition, seniors with multiple care needs will be seamlessly linked up by their current providers to others within the same sub-region.
22. For sub-regions where there are existing providers, we will facilitate partnerships among existing providers so they can eventually take on the full ICCP role. For sub-regions without any existing centres, we have launched the process to select new ICCPs in December 2024 and will appoint them in 2025. By end-2026, all seniors with care needs can progressively look forward to receiving standardised care assessments and holistic long-term care plan coordinated across services.
Enhancing Capacity and Access to Mental Health Services in Primary Care
23. There has been a growing recognition of the close link between mental health and physical well-being. We need to integrate mental health seamlessly into our current healthcare system, to ensure quality care is delivered consistently across providers in the community.
24. To enable the public to receive mental health care at Healthier SG clinics, care protocols for major depressive disorder and general anxiety disorder are being developed to ensure consistent, quality care across primary care providers. These care protocols will be rolled out in 2026.
[NEW] Pairing of Healthier SG clinics with COMIT providers
25. We have also begun to pair Healthier SG clinics with Community Intervention Team (COMIT) providers who provide psychosocial interventions, such as counselling and therapy. These pairings enable smoother referrals, so Healthier SG enrollees with mental health needs can receive timely non-pharmacological interventions in the community.
Improving Access to Youth Mental Health Services
26. Improving access to mental health services for youth is a key public health priority. As many mental health conditions first manifest during adolescence and young adulthood, early intervention can significantly alter life trajectories. Enhancing access to mental health support plays a crucial role in combating stigma, fostering healthy development, and improving long-term health outcomes.
[NEW] Convene an expert group to establish guidelines on parental consent requirements for minors accessing mental health services
27. To improve minors’ access to mental health services, an expert group will be convened this year to develop guidelines on obtaining parental consent for minors seeking mental health services. The guidelines will provide clearer guidance to practitioners, including measures to protect the safety and interest of minors while ensuring parental involvement in their care. The guidelines will be incorporated into the Practice Guide for youth mental health service providers as a resource for mental health professionals working with youths.
28. The guide seeks to ensure that parent consent issues do not result in delays for minors accessing mental health services, while ensuring the involvement of parents in the care and recovery process. The guide will cover scenarios, and applicable conditions and restrictions where parental consent is required, as well as measures to safeguard the interests and safety of minors who are receiving mental health services.
[NEW] Integrated Wellness Centre
29. An Integrated Wellness Centre called “grovve”, led by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), will be launched at the end of 2025. The Centre seeks to normalise mental health care, improve accessibility, and address stigma associated with help-seeking. grovve will be the first centre to provide integrated mental health services for youths aged 13 to 25 years and their caregivers, under one roof. This includes mental health screening, triage and intervention, as well as general wellness activities such as art, yoga and photography.
30. The co-location of diverse services will improve access for youths as they seek social support and intervention in a safe and welcoming environment. grovve will take up a space of approximately 720m2 co-created by youths. It will be situated at *SCAPE. Beyond mental health support and services, grovve will be a space that like-minded youths can form communities to strengthen community support for mental well-being. Adopting a hybrid model, grovve will integrate physical and digital services, providing youths with options for anonymity.
31. grovve will operate from Mondays to Saturdays, 11am to 8pm, when it is fully operational. Youths and caregivers can access the services and resources at the centre either by walking in or through online platforms.
Youth Crisis Facility
32. In October 2023, MOH announced in the National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy plans to set up an intermediate residential facility for youths at risk of suicide and self-harm. This includes youths presenting with suicidal behaviours due to social stressors such as difficult relationships with their family members, peers or partners.
33. The facility, expected to be operational in 2027, will provide timely intervention for youths in crisis, and ultimately improve outcomes for young people struggling with suicidal behaviour and self-harm. The facility will support youths who are referred from the community, or discharged from an acute hospital so they can gradually be reintegrated into the community. It will provide psychosocial interventions and assistance in a safe and non-stigmatising environment. An inter-agency project team has been set up to develop the clinical protocols and operational details. The facility will be staffed 24/7 by a multi-disciplinary team, and will bridge the gap between acute hospital care and community care.
Strengthening Community Mental Health Support
34. Mental health support will continue to be strengthened in community settings, to reduce over-medicalising mental health care and improve access to care.
National Mental Health Helpline and Textline
35. With over 200 existing touchpoints, access to mental health services remains challenging due to the complex landscape. To address this, MOH has started publicising first-stop touchpoints and digital tools to streamline and facilitate help-seeking. First-stop touchpoints employ a "no wrong door" approach to enable early detection, triage, and provision of low-intensity interventions. These touchpoints assist help-seekers in accessing the most appropriate support and services based on their specific mental health needs.
36. The National Mental Health Helpline and Textline (NMHHT) will be launched in mid-2025 to enhance Singaporeans’ access to mental health services. It aims to serve as the national hotline and textline for the population’s mental health needs, facilitating easy recall and access to mental health support. NMHHT will provide round-the-clock hotline and texting support for those who need assistance and will be staffed by trained counsellors, providing mental health support and wayfinding assistance for individuals experiencing mental distress.
Update on Frontliner Training
37. Many common mental health challenges arising from life stressors can be addressed through non-medical interventions, such as counselling and psychosocial support, when help is provided early. To date, over 137,000 frontline personnel and volunteers have received basic mental health training, exceeding the initial target of 130,000 set for 2030. With the training, frontline personnel and volunteers will be able to identify individuals showing signs of mental health distress and recommend appropriate mental health support and services. We will continue with efforts to strengthen outreach, ensuring that more frontline workers are trained.
38. Currently, e-learning modules developed by the Agency for Integrated Care are available for frontline personnel and volunteers. From mid-2025, HPB will extend its new peer support e-learning modules, which include an introduction to Psychological First Aid, to frontline groups and volunteers. Participants can also opt for a blended learning approach, which combines e-learning with a four-hour practical skills training.
39. Members of the public may also access AIC’s two e-learning modules via the following links:
a) Mental Health Awareness Module 1: Understanding the Signs and Symptoms of Mental Health Issue [https://for.sg/mha1 (opens in new tab)]
b) Mental Health Awareness Module 2: Supporting Persons with Mental Health Issues [https://for.sg/mha2 (opens in new tab)]
Enhancing Health Promotion Efforts on Healthy Diets
Updates on efforts to tackle sugar intake
40. Excessive sugar consumption is linked to increased risks of obesity and diabetes, and beverages continue to be the largest source of sugar intake among Singaporeans.
41. As part of the initiatives to reduce sugar intake, the Nutri-Grade measures for beverages came into effect in December 2022 for pre-packaged beverages, and in December 2023 for freshly prepared beverages. The labelling requirements and advertising prohibitions, complemented with public education and industry engagement efforts, have led to encouraging results.
a) Many industry partners have reformulated their products. The median sugar level of pre-packaged beverages has decreased from 7.1% in 2017 to 4.6% in 2023.
b) More than two-thirds of pre-packaged beverages are Nutri-Grade A or B, which is more than double as compared to 2017.
c) Consumers have responded positively with sales of pre-packaged beverages graded “A” and “B” increasing from 37% in 2017 to 71% in 2023.
d) The National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 2022 showed that the average daily sugar intake for Singapore residents reduced from 60g in 2018 to 56g in 2022.
42. Complementing the Nutri-Grade measures, the “Siu Dai by default” movement was launched in end-2023 to encourage F&B establishments to offer freshly prepared drinks with lower sugar content or Siu Dai by default. As of December 2024, about six in ten chained beverage outlets are serving freshly prepared drinks with less sugar or Siu Dai by default, making healthier choices more accessible to consumers.
Updates on efforts to tackle sodium intake
43. Over-consumption of sodium is a key risk factor for hypertension. The NNS 2022 shows that sodium intake remains high at 3,620 mg per day, with 90% of adult residents exceeding the World Health Organization’s recommendation of less than 2,000 mg per day. The sodium intake among Singaporeans has been largely driven by salt, sauces and seasonings used in food preparations, especially in the eat-out sector.
44. As part of the sodium reduction strategy, MOH and HPB will adopt a collaborative approach to increase the availability and encourage the use of lower-sodium ingredients. HPB is strengthening its engagements with F&B operators to increase the availability of healthier, lower-sodium options.
a) Over 1,700 eateries have switched to lower-sodium ingredients as of December 2024, an increase from 500 eateries in 2022.
b) As part of the engagement efforts, HPB rolled out the Healthier Ingredient Promotion Programme (HIPP) in July 2024, to actively engage hawkers on the importance of sodium reduction, provide them with samples of lower-sodium ingredients, and encourage them to switch to healthier alternatives. HPB has reached out to 60 hawker centres and aims to engage another 50 hawker centres in 2025.
c) In addition, many industry players have pledged their support for the "Less Salt, More Taste" movement, which started in 2023 to reduce sodium content in our food. They represent 40% of the retail market for sauces and seasonings, 30% of the catering industry, and 20% of the F&B industry.
45. In August 2024, we announced that the Nutri-Grade labelling and advertising prohibition measures will be extended to key contributors of sodium and saturated fat in the retail setting. This will include pre-packaged salt, sauces, seasonings, instant noodles, and cooking oil. The measures aim to (i) help consumers make more informed, healthier choices by identifying products that are higher in sodium and saturated fat; (ii) spur industry reformulation; and (iii) reduce the influence of advertising on consumer preferences. Further details of the measures will be released later this year.
46. These collaborative efforts aim to create a healthier food environment, increase the availability of healthier options, and empower Singaporeans to make better dietary choices, ultimately working towards reducing the prevalence of chronic diseases.
Expanding Access to HPB Healthy Lifestyle Activities in the Community
47. To promote uptake of physical activity and create opportunities for residents to come together to exercise, HPB offers a variety of community programmes, which cater to different age segments and residents with varying fitness levels. These programmes are free of charge and are easily accessible at over 1,300 locations, including Community Centres, Resident Corners, AACs, parks, malls and community spaces.
48. In support of Healthier SG and Age Well SG, HPB has ramped up these community programmes to make them more available to residents. In 2024, HPB conducted 2,100 sessions, attended by 47,000 participants on a weekly basis. This represents a steady increase from the earlier scale-up in 2023, where HPB conducted 1,700 sessions, attended by 36,000 participants weekly. Residents now have more opportunities to participate in a wide variety of physical activities conveniently in their neighbourhoods.
49. To further encourage participation in these community programmes, HPB will exercise greater flexibility for residents to join some of the activities. For low to moderate intensity activities, including yoga, Zumba Gold and resistance band exercises, latecomers and walk-ins will now be allowed, provided there is available capacity. The trainers will continue to maintain wellness checks throughout the session, and guide those who join in after the safety briefing or warm-up to start slow.
50. As proper warm-up and safety checks are crucial to minimise injuries for higher-intensity activities like High Intensity Interval Training, latecomers will not be allowed for such activities. We encourage all residents to continue signing up for activities via the Healthy 365 app and arrive for their session on time to secure their spot. Prior to participating, residents should also monitor their own readiness, and refrain from exercising if they are unwell.
51. HPB aims to effect these changes over the next few months. With the changes, we hope more residents will join in the variety of physical activity programmes conveniently located in their neighbourhoods.