Debated in Parliament on 6 Nov 2017.
Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for Health (a) whether there are plans to elevate the role of nutrition in managing diabetes and pre-diabetes; and (b) what is the percentage of people who have utilised the Diabetes Risk Assessment Tool since its inception and found to be at risk.
Mr Speaker, Sir, nutrition has been a key component of our fight against diabetes. Good nutrition involves having a healthy and balanced diet that is lower in sugar, saturated fat and calories, and higher in whole grains, fruits and vegetables. It also includes other lifestyle changes, such as exercise and weight management.
To support Singaporeans to make better dietary choices, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) has been working with industry partners to increase the availability of healthier food choices. This includes healthier food products under the Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) programme, the Healthier Dining Programme and the Healthier Ingredient Development Scheme. To support the War against diabetes, the low glycemic index claim under the HCS programme was recently expanded from the cereals category to include convenience meals and the legumes, nuts and seeds categories. The aim is to encourage more food innovation to widen the HCS range.
Just recently, Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin and I were at Singapore Polytechnic to look at some of the new products that the industry has developed, including the use of resistant starch, beta glucan, to help lower the glycemic index of staple foods like noodles.
Besides a healthier diet, prevention and management of diabetes also involve adopting an active lifestyle, going for appropriate health screening and follow-up. The national screening programme Screen For Life run by HPB aims to improve early detection and appropriate intervention of chronic diseases, including diabetes.
While the current recommendation is for those above 40 years old to go for diabetes screening once every three years, we recognise that age is not the only risk factor for diabetes. This is why the Diabetes Risk Assessment (DRA) tool was launched on 1 September 2017 to raise awareness of the risk factors for diabetes and to encourage younger adults aged 18 to 39 to assess their current risk for undiagnosed diabetes. Similar tools have been implemented in countries, such as the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. Those who are assessed to be at higher risk will be advised to go for diabetes screening and follow-up consultations with doctors.
Since its launch on 1 September, about 44,000 users aged 18 to 39 have used the DRA. Around one-fifth of them, or about 8,500, were found to be at higher risk. We believe DRA is a useful tool to enhance the effectiveness of our screening efforts, but we would need to collect more data over time to analyse its impact and effectiveness.
PAPERCUTS