SINGAPORE: In an effort to promote better health awareness for women in Singapore, the new Women's Health Advisory Committee this month announced that it was initiating a new public campaign to help women with issues such as obesity, binge drinking and smoking. Minister of State for Health and Manpower Amy Khor, who chairs the committee, said in comments to the media that there is a need to “equip women with knowledge about health,” pointing out that “only 40 percent of Singaporean women aged between 50 and 69 undergo regular breast cancer screenings.” She pointed to Finland, where 84 percent of women in the same age grouping have regular screenings. She also said that, although Singaporean women fare “quite well” in terms of health outcome indicators, there were areas of concern, “such as how women aged between 60 and 69 are twice as prone as older men to hip fractures, and the increase in smoking rates in women aged between 18 and 29. Khor also cited binge drinking in younger women, mental health and cancer screening rates for older women as some of the issues the 14-member committee wants to address. The committee will play an advisory role to the Health Promotion Board (HPB), and is currently working with the HPB on a holistic Women's Healthcare Plan which will chart the priority areas in women's health at different stages of their lives and help to set effective programs and policies. Beginning the campaign, it launched a new initiative – a women's health resource booklet called “My Journey to Better Health” that provides simple tips to help women make small but meaningful changes to their lifestyle.
