NATIONAL HEALTH PRIORITY AREA OF SINGAPORE

Running head: NATIONAL HEALTH PRIORITY AREA OF SINGAPORE
NATIONAL HEALTH PRIORITY AREA OF SINGAPORE
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1NATIONAL HEALTH PRIORITY AREA OF SINGAPORE
Initiative of national health priority area gives an overview of understanding and
developing strategies to overcome from any priority area. Understanding of priority area of
nation is very much important as it help in providing information to various stakeholders to
improve the quality of healthcare. Improving quality of healthcare includes wellbeing of the
society that influences directly on individual and community (Terwindt, Rajan & Soucat,
2016). In Singapore, cardiovascular disease can be considered to be a priority area.
Cardiovascular disease causes disability of a person and premature death. Atherosclerosis is
the major pathology that gradually develops in many years and can be seen during the mid-
age of a person or individual. Therefore, this essay will provide argumentative initiation
towards cardiovascular disease to be consider and understood as a health priority area. This
essay intends to examine, explain and justify why cardiovascular disease has been classified
as a health priority area in Singapore, and argue a case for being an area of focus for health
promotion.
The major health priority area in Singapore is cardiovascular disease. This condition
affects blood vessels or heart. The increased clotting of blood or any fatty depositing inside
arteries leads to cardiovascular disease. Coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease,
strokes and aortic disease comes under cardiovascular disease. People with high-level
cholesterol, saturated fat, regular smoking and obesity are affected by cardiovascular disease.
Apart from these factors, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, or already established disease are
the major factor causing CVD (Pan A. O & W. P, 2014). The major effect of cardiovascular
disease in body is cardiac arrest that means heart suddenly stop beating. The major symptoms
of cardiac arrest are pain in the chest, arms, back and left shoulder (Quah, 2014).
Cardiovascular disease can affect both men and women, although men are highly affected as
compared to women. Risk of cardiovascular disease in men can be seen nearly at the age 45
and it gradually increase with the age. Young adults are also affected and the reason can be

2NATIONAL HEALTH PRIORITY AREA OF SINGAPORE
childhood obesity or diabetes (Lee et al., 2016). Recognizing health priority area will give a
summary of health status of the particular region. It will help in understanding the limitation
of quality of care and come up with enhanced solution to overcome the deficiencies.
Globally, cardiovascular disease is responsible for increasing the rate of morbidity
and mortality. In the year 2016, cardiovascular disease appeared 31% of death globally
(who.int, 2020). As per World Health Organisation, it is estimated that around 17.5 million
death will be due to cardiovascular disease by 2030 (Who.int, 2017). As per statistics of
Singapore, majority of people die due to cardiovascular disease. In the year 2018, 29.2%
encountered death due to cardiovascular disease (Moh.gov.sg, 2020). This leads to a
statement that nearly 1 out of 3 deaths is caused by stroke or any other cardiovascular
disease. The rate of smoking, intake of tobacco, obesity and rising blood pressure are the
major concern in Singapore (Thomas et al., 2016). This increasing rate will ultimately results
in promoting cardiovascular disease. The major reason for Disability adjusted life years
(DALYs) is also cardiovascular disease in Singapore. Apart from CVD, Singapore also have
burden of injury and cancer. However, CVD is the top most disease burden. DALY quantify
overall burden of diseases and it is demonstrated as the number of year somebody is losing in
term of disability or ill health or an early death. Ischaemic heart disease includes
approximately 10.4% of DALYs. Similarly, stroke has around 6.8%, inflammatory heart
disease has 1%, hypertensive heart disease has 0.9% and others like rheumatic fever, aortic
aneurysm have a total of 2%-3% (Hay, 2017). With cardiovascular disease being the most
prior reason for the increased morbidity and mortality, Singapore need to promote awareness
and adequate step towards reduction of cardiovascular disease. Low-income people may find
difficult to access and avail the quality care from the healthcare provider. Therefore,
cardiovascular disease is priority area in Singapore.

3NATIONAL HEALTH PRIORITY AREA OF SINGAPORE
This priority area has affected mostly to adults and seniors depending on their
lifestyle. The target group considered as an adults (30-60 years). These age group is impacted
mostly due to CVD. With the increase consumption of tobacco and smoking, people are
inviting the diseases and led to an early death. As per the health statistics of Singapore, it has
been found that around 3.3 billion people are consuming cigarettes on daily basis. These
people are found in the age group of above 25 years. Middle aged Chinese ladies residing in
Singapore are found to be affected majorly (Koh et al., 2015). On a daily basis, if one get
excessive exposure to domestic incense burner for a long term then he or she will enhance the
chance of cardiovascular mortality.
Well-being is a combination of physical and mental health to health promotion and
prevention of disease. It is connected with healthy behaviour, physical illness or mental
illness, longer life and also social environmental factors. Estimating, following and assisting
well-being is useful for various stakeholders involved in promoting health or delivering
healthcare. Multiple researchers from multiple backgrounds examined well-being as physical
well-being, social well-being, economic well-being and many others as such. The wellbeing
framework includes individual well-being, community groups and community well-being.
All these are making a relationship within each other. Community group will have impact on
the wellbeing of individual as well as in community. Community group consist of people,
they can choose any unhealthy behaviour that will have direct impact on wellbeing of an
individual. If community enable any forced environment than it will lead directly to entire
community wellbeing. Here, cardiovascular disease is consider as a priority area in
Singapore, community group can be consist of people who are smoking on daily basis or
middle aged Chinese women who are getting direct exposure from incense burner (McCrea,
Walton & Leonard, 2014). Their unhealthy behaviour or habits lead to risk of cardiovascular
disease. Thus, effecting on individual and community wellbeing.

4NATIONAL HEALTH PRIORITY AREA OF SINGAPORE
There are multiple health promotion in Singapore that focuses on reducing the causes
of cardiovascular disease. Different form of therapy can direct to a preventive action or
sometime can lead to specific action to cultivate healthy behaviour. One such promotion is
national step challenge, it is a corporate challenge that focus on a physical activity of an
individual. Organisation and its individual need to participate and can win attractive rewards.
The highest number of step in a month will be calculated. Physical inactivity will have direct
impact on health and can boost heart disease. This promotion will encourage and motivate to
move towards being active while working in any organisation. The only drawback of this
promotion is its time span. Many people would not like to participate in any contest for a
longer period (channelnewsasia.com, 2017). Another health promotion that focuses on this
particular priority area is ‘you can spot a stroke’. Stroke can occur at any point of time and in
order to save lives of many individual this programme has launched a booklet. The booklet
consist of all the fact, signs and risk factors of stroke. Moreover this booklet is made
available in many stores or pharmacy or any polyclinics. The gap found in this promotion is
that the booklet are limited in stock, and senior people may find it difficult to avail and to
access (channelnewsasia.com, 2018).
The major cause of CVD is smoking and that is the reason, the health promotion
board has come up with a promotion ‘I quit 28-Day countdown’. This programme will help
people gradually with all the necessary details and advices from the professional. Participant
get daily tips as this programme is SMS based design. This programme includes counselling
session according to individual preferences. This session last for six weeks and of one hour.
The major gap in this promotion can be people would not accept any unknown or new
medication affecting their health. Additionally, it is found that 20,000 people have registered
in to this programme however, only 10% of people have successfully completed the duration
of 28 days without consumption of cigarette (Lim, 2018).

5NATIONAL HEALTH PRIORITY AREA OF SINGAPORE
Lastly the paper concludes that cardiovascular disease is continuously increasing the
rates of morbidity and mortality. The health promotion must be done in this particular priority
area as to generate the awareness among people and take a necessary action towards a healthy
lifestyle. Due to obesity and unhealthy behaviour, individual and community wellbeing is
affected. For the well-being of the individual and community, government or stakeholders of
healthcare must focus on reducing the risk of priority area. To ensure the reduction of such
risks, there must be a change of lifestyle like indulging in activity that is more physical and
reducing the intake of cholesterol food and saturated fat. With the help of efficient health
promotion, the process for reducing the risks and leading towards a healthy life can be
initiated. Cardiovascular disease leads to emergent cases and therefore, healthcare delivering
system should be design in such a way that it will proactively analyse and assist any acute or
chronic emergency care.

6NATIONAL HEALTH PRIORITY AREA OF SINGAPORE
References
channelnewsasia.com (2017). National Steps Challenge has helped participants become more
active: HPB study. Retrieved 23 January 2020, from
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/national-steps-challenge-has-
helped-participants-become-more-9157956
channelnewsasia.com (2018). New multi-agency task force to drive health promotion.
Retrieved 23 January 2020, from
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-multi-agency-task-force-to-
drive-health-promotion-10895736
Hay, S. I., Abajobir, A. A., Abate, K. H., Abbafati, C., Abbas, K. M., Abd-Allah, F., ... &
Aboyans, V. (2017). Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years
(DALYs) for 333 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195
countries and territories, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of
Disease Study 2016. The Lancet, 390(10100), 1260-1344.
Koh, A. S., Pan, A., Wang, R., Odegaard, A. O., Pereira, M. A., Yuan, J. M., & Koh, W. P.
(2015). The association between dietary omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular
death: the Singapore Chinese Health Study. European journal of preventive
cardiology, 22(3), 364-372.
Lee, Y. S., Biddle, S., Chan, M. F., Cheng, A., Cheong, M., Chong, Y. S., ... & Pang, J.
(2016). Health promotion board–Ministry of Health clinical practice guidelines:
obesity. Singapore medical journal, 57(6), 292.

7NATIONAL HEALTH PRIORITY AREA OF SINGAPORE
Lim, S. (2018). Powerful video series lies at the heart of a new anti-smoking campaign.
Retrieved 22 January 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.sg/powerful-video-
series-at-heart-of-new-anti-smoking-campaign/
McCrea, R., Walton, A., & Leonard, R. (2014). A conceptual framework for investigating
community wellbeing and resilience. Rural society, 23(3), 270-282.
Moh.gov.sg. MOH | Principal Causes of Death. Retrieved 23 January 2020, from
https://www.moh.gov.sg/resources-statistics/singapore-health-facts/principal-causes-
of-death
Pan, A., Odegaard, A. O., & Koh, W. P. (2014). Cardiovascular diseases. The Wiley
Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior, and Society, 1-6.
Quah, J. L. J., Yap, S., Cheah, S. O., Ng, Y. Y., Goh, E. S., Doctor, N., ... & Ong, M. E. H.
(2014). Knowledge of signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke among
Singapore residents. BioMed research international, 2014.
Terwindt, F., Rajan, D., & Soucat, A. (2016). Priority-setting for national health policies,
strategies and plans. Strategizing national health in the 21st century: a handbook, 71.
Thomas, J. S., Ong, S. E., Chia, K. S., & Lee, H. P. (2016). A brief history of public health in
Singapore. In Singapore's Health Care System: What 50 Years Have Achieved (pp.
33-56).
Who.int. (2017). Cardiovascular diseases. Retrieved 22 January 2020, from
https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases/#tab=tab_1
who.int. (2020). Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Retrieved 30 January 2020, from
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds)