Synopsis

Synopsis of Lectures

Day 1 : 18 Nov 2019

Time	Title / Speaker / Synopsis
0930h – 1045h	Opening keynote address: Getting More People More Active Every Day: A Blueprint for an Active Singapore Prof Trevor Shilton This opening address sets the scene for the International Course on Physical Activity and Public Health. It describes and defines physical activity across the age range, across sectors and across society. It sets the scene in relation to noncommunicable diseases and their global burden and the role of physical activity policy in addressing that burden at global and national level. The benefits of physical activity are discussed in the context of health but also co-benefits across sectors – from cleaner air, to reduced congestion and increased levels of social capital. Models are described for how to best select strategies to address population inactivity.  The ISPAH Singapore Physical Activity Course is oriented around the global consensus that has informed frameworks for best investments. These include the International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) ‘best investments’ for physical activity as well as the WHO best buys and Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018-2030 (GAPPA).
1045h – 1130h	Tea Break
1130h – 1215h	The benefits of physical activity Dr Sjaan Gomersall This lecture will provide an overview of physical activity and activity across the intensity spectrum, including sedentary behaviour. It will discuss the definition of physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and present and discuss the physical activity guidelines, including both the World Health Organisation guidelines and the local guidelines in Singapore. An overview of the benefits of physical activity will be discussed, ranging from physical function, the prevention of chronic disease and brain health, as well as the non-health related benefits.
1215h – 1300h	Overview of WHO Global Action Plan on Physical Activity Dr Tracy Kolbe-Alexander This talk will introduce the role of physical activity and health. The global prevalence of physical inactivity will be presented. The goals, vision and targets for the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity and its relationship with the Sustainable Development Goals will be discussed. The four policy action areas are creating active people, creating active societies, creating active environments and creating active systems. The talk will conclude by introducing the Technical Toolkit and ‘How to implement’ resources.
1300h -1400h	Lunch Reception
1400h – 1445h	Overview of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour in Singapore Dr Nicholas Petrunoff The Overview of Physical Activity (PA) and Sedentary Behaviour (SB) in Singapore focuses on describing these behaviours amongst Singaporean adults over 21 years of age and pre-school aged children. Local context will be presented before providing an overview of the epidemiological evidence from Singapore government monitoring studies and local academic research. This research will include studies which collected subjective and objective data on PA and SB amongst a large multi-ethnic cohort of Asian adults and with five-year-old children in a mother-offspring birth cohort, as well as in workplaces and pre-schools. A strategic programme of research exploring the determinants of PA and SB amongst adults in Singapore will then be introduced, highlighting some of the approaches being used to understand these complex behaviours as well as progress to date. In summing up, some positive developments in promoting PA and reducing SB in Singapore will be considered along with areas for potential future investments in research to inform policy and programs.
1445h -1530h	“Singapore….Let’s Play” Mr Oon Jin Teik In 2018, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a warning that more than a quarter of people worldwide are not doing enough physical exercise.  In the report’s conclusions, men in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, were the among the least physically active.  In another report commissioned by Fonterra ahead of World Osteoporosis Day in 2018, this research also showed that Singaporeans are the second most inactive nation of the five countries surveyed in Southeast Asia. Jin Teik will highlight the nation’s progress in sports participation from 2001-2017.  Taking guidance from WHO’s 2018 recommendation “More Active People for A Healthier World”, Jin Teik will then discuss how Singapore can achieve Physical Literacy by focusing on seven areas: (1) Intrinsic Motivation; (2) Fundamental Movement Skills; (3) Sport & Activity Introduction; (4) Many Play Opportunities; (5) CX and UX; (6) Every Corner of Singapore Playable; (7) Total Ecosystem Support.  This is to supplement the policies and programming led by Government (e.g. Sport Singapore, Health Promotion Board, Ministry of Education).
1600h -1645h	Singapore’s Approach to Physical Activity for a Healthier Population: The National Steps ChallengeTM Ms Alice Ong Non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of premature deaths and ill health and contribute to 80% of the disease burden in Singapore. The large burden of non-communicable diseases together with an ageing population result in an exponential increase in health expenditure. Obesity is a modifiable risk factor of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. As the national body committed to promoting healthy living in Singapore, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) has a focus on prevention of obesity by helping Singapore residents incorporate physical activities into their daily routines. To do so, HPB has to shift its approach to one that rely heavily on education to an approach which influences the environment that facilitates healthy living. In 2015, HPB embarked on a multi-level public health intervention to reduce sedentary lifestyle behaviours. Called the National Steps ChallengeTM, the population-level programme was launched to mobilise the residents towards a more active lifestyle through the use of fitness wearable and leveraging technology to gamify physical activity. Through the National Steps ChallengeTM, HPB also engaged with workplaces, institutes of higher learning and community organisations to encourage physical activity and create health-promoting environments where people live, work and play. Currently in its fifth year, the National Steps ChallengeTM has reached out to 1 in 3 adult Singaporeans and demonstrated sustainable and measurable changes in physical activity levels among its participants. This presentation will focus on Singapore’s approach to physical activity using the National Steps ChallengeTM as a case study by sharing the thinking behind the design of the programme incorporating physical activity guidelines, and findings and insights from the Challenge.
1645h -1730h	Live Better Through Sport – Vision 2030 Dr Chiang Hock Woon In 2012, Sport Singapore (then known as the Singapore Sports Council) embarked on the Vision 2030 project to develop a long-term sport masterplan for Singapore, a city-state with a population of 5.6 million. Vision 2030 seeks to catalyse innovation, shape mindsets and inspire Singaporeans from all walks of life to live better. The recommendations of Vision 2030 seek to grow opportunities, access and capabilities so sport can achieve positive physical, social, economic and environmental impact. Building on strategic partnerships with the public, private and people sectors, sport can be used to realise individual aspirations and achieve national outcomes such as cultivating a caring community, a cohesive society and a confident nation. In today’s climate, the environment around us has changed - the global economic centre of the world is shifting to Asia; social media has more significance in our lives than ever and technology has changed the way we organise our lives, jobs and economy. Vision 2030 must remain dynamic and evolve where necessary to support the changing needs and demands of our nation. Vision 2030 was and remains predicated on the question of how sport can be better employed to serve the best interests of Singapore. In a rapidly evolving world, how can sport help us adapt but retain our strong values at the same time?

Day 2 : 19 Nov 2019

Time	Title / Speaker / Synopsis
0900h – 0945h	Systems based approach to physical activity Dr Tracy Kolbe-Alexander A systems-based approach is a set of common objects or people and the relationships and interactions that make them part of a larger whole, working together with a common purpose. The purpose, strengths, limitations of systems mapping will be discussed. In addition, the process for developing a systems map will be presented.
0945h – 1030h	Creating active schools – whole of school approaches Dr Sjaan Gomersall This lecture will discuss the importance of schools as a setting for physical activity promotion for children and young people. It will present the concept of whole of school approaches and will discuss the strength of the evidence for whole of school approaches compared to single strategy physical activity interventions. It will provide exemplar whole of school approaches from the literature and will provide practical examples to integrate into school settings. Finally, active schools and the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity will be discussed.
1100h – 1125h	Exercise is Medicine - How caregivers can get the public to take their medicine Adj A/P Benedict Tan There is overwhelming research evidence of the benefits of physical activity in the prevention and management of many chronic diseases. Unfortunately, this has not translated into clinical practice - Exercise is recommended in many treatment algorithms but healthcare givers are not actively getting their patients to exercise. This talk examines the barriers to exercise prescription by healthcare givers, and proposes solutions to overcome these barriers, so that patients are able to get the exercise prescription that they need.
1125h -1150h	Maintaining health and reducing frailty in older adults A/P Wee Shiou Liang This lecture will touch on frailty and emerging concepts, role of resistance and functional exercise, frailty reduction programs and community translation.
1150h – 1215h	Strength training for older adults – Gym Tonic Dr Lim Min Chin Gym Tonic is a strength training programme designed specifically to help older adults maintain or improve their muscle strength. An overview of the programme and some of the preliminary findings for its effectiveness in community-dwelling elderly will be shared.
1215h -1300h	Mass Media and Social Mobilization Prof Trevor Shilton This lecture addresses the role of social marketing and mass media initiatives as a best investment for physical activity.  ‘Mass media’, ‘social marketing’ and ‘campaigns’ are defined.  The roles for social marketing campaigns are explored across increasing awareness and understanding; forming beliefs/attitudes, as a stimulus for community discussion and catalyst for change and changing cultural norms around physical activity. Typical campaign development processes are outlined including formative research to choose the right messages, and ensure campaigns are based on sound behavioural theory, relationship to guidelines and evidence-based messaging; that the messages resonate with the target audience and are presented with consistent messaging, tone and targeting across appropriate channels. Case studies in community-wide physical activity social marketing campaigns are outlined, including their evaluation, to illustrate the above processes.
1400h – 1430h	Workplace Health Promotion Dr Tracy Kolbe-Alexander Prevention of life style and work related diseases include implementation of physical activity and the worksite has been identified as an appropriate setting for health promotion. To date, several initiatives have been taken by employers to promote a healthy lifestyle including the promotion of physical activity. More recently, workplaces have implemented various initiatives to reduce sitting and promote moving in the workplace. Evidence-based practice of various workplace and community based health promotion programs that aim to promote physical activity will be discussed. In addition, practical guidelines and recommendations to encourage working adults to move more and sit less will be presented
1430h – 1530h	Built Environments, Active Transport and Physical Activity Prof Trevor Shilton These sessions address healthy built environments, design and active transport, their relationship to physical activity, healthy and active populations and to prevention of noncommunicable diseases and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.  We establish the evidence for the role of built environments and active transport systems within a comprehensive approach to increasing population levels of physical activity, and in achieving co-benefits such as road safety, sustainability, reducing air pollution, reducing congestion and building social capital.  Examples are presented from around the world of effective polices, frameworks, initiatives, and interventions that have shown benefits in relation to population walking, cycling, public transport use and recreational physical activity. These include the Healthy Streets initiative (UK) and Healthy Active by Design (Australia).
1600h – 1645h	Evaluation Dr Sjaan Gomersall This lecture will provide an overview of evaluation in health promotion, drawing on examples in physical activity. It will discuss the importance of planning for evaluation, particularly with multiple stakeholders, and will present the project planning cycle as a practical way of approaching evaluation. It will discuss the types of evaluation (formative, process and outcome evaluation), logic models and the stages of research in public health research.
1645h – 1715h	Quantity and Quality of sport participation in Singapore – Insights from National Sport Participation Survey Mr Rostam Umar This presentation provides a comprehensive view of Singapore’s national sport participation as well as trends and insights of social impact observed associated with regular sport participation.

Day 3 : 20 Nov 2019

0900h – 0945h	The role of behavioural economics in physical activity Dr Tracy Kolbe-Alexander Behavioural economists advocate a ‘soft’, ‘liberal’, or asymmetrical paternalism approach to encourage behaviour change. They aim to gently nudge someone into the healthy behavior without imposing restrictions on those who want to continue with less healthy behavior. Concepts in ‘nudge’ include choice architecture and using the default option. Another concept in behavioural economics is incentivizing healthy behaviour. This talk will introduce basic concepts in Behavioural Economics which has been advocated as one of the strategies that can be applied to encourage society to engage in health seeking behaviours.
0945h – 1030h	Beyond the traditional insurer – how Vitality has fuelled the purpose-led AIA Singapore to deliver its brand promise of Healthier, Longer, Better Lives Ms Sharon Ng AIA Singapore will share the insights on the value of Vitality and how it has been fundamental in guiding many of its business and product strategies. From the initial focus on physical activities, AIA Vitality is evolving into an integrated program and propelling into other interrelated wellness modules, such as sleep, mental wellbeing, chronic condition support, weight management, workplace health and financial wellbeing.
1100h – 1230h	Physical Activity Advocacy Part 1 Prof Trevor Shilton This workshop will cover both the content and theory of advocacy and will also lead participants through an experiential process to develop an advocacy plan to advance a policy goal; of their choice.    The content will include establishment of the importance and relevance of advocacy in mobilising change, definitions of advocacy, competencies/skills needed for effective advocacy (the science and the art), as well as lessons from successful advocacy. Participants will choose an advocacy goal they would like to address in Singapore (key examples are provided). Participants then build an advocacy strategy using a well-established advocacy model. This model addresses six imperatives for effective advocacy: -            Evidence: Translate and present the evidence as urgent -            Policy relevance: Present your issue as relevant to policy in health and across sectors -            Solution: Outline an agenda for action - exactly what you want changed -            Partnership and coalitions: Consider the agencies you will work with to advocate this issue -            Advocacy strategy: Mobilize advocacy strategies as appropriate across five domains: Political advocacy, Media advocacy, Professional mobilization, Community mobilization, and Advocacy from within organizations -           Persuasive communication:  Translate evidence through persuasive message framing.
1330h – 1500h	Physical Activity Advocacy Part 2 Prof Trevor Shilton
1500h – 1530h	Active Health Mr Kenneth Mc Geough The presentation will provide insights into the proactive ecosystem of Active health Labs and Sports Centres around Singapore that enable Singaporeans to own their own health through proactive health and lifestyle management.
1530h – 1615h	National Physical Activity Plan Dr Tracy Kolbe-Alexander The successful promotion of physical activity requires a multi-sectoral and systems base approach. One of the aims of this presentation is to reflect on the talks from day 1 and day 2. The over-arching rationale and goals of a National Physical Activity Plan, and how it links with the Global Action Plan for Physical Activity will be presented. This presentation will include strategies and factors to facilitate implementation of the physical activity plan