Launch of National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign

On 29 December 1991, then Minister for Health Yeo Cheow Tong announced at a community event held at the Kong Kah South Community Centre that the National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign would be launched on 18 April the following year. The month-long health campaign – to take place annually over the next 10 years – would share the same status as the Speak Mandarin Campaign.^[1]

The campaign, which aimed to encourage Singaporeans to adopt a healthier lifestyle, was one of the recommendations made by the Review Committee on National Health Policies chaired by then Minister of State for Health Aline Wong. The review committee cited health promotion and disease prevention as priority areas for action.^[2]  

The inaugural National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign was launched by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong on 19 April 1992.^[3] A two-week National Health Fair, held at the World Trade Centre, kicked off the campaign.^[4]  At the fair, an 80-page pocket-size booklet published by the Ministry of Health was sold for S$2 each to the public. It provides the calories for about 200 local hawker dishes and popular western dishes as well as fruits, snacks and desserts.^[5]

Other events organised during the campaign included a public forum on maintaining healthy weight, the National Swim and National Walk/Jog as well as an intensive mass media education programme providing information on achieving a healthy lifestyle.^[6] The National Walk/Jog attracted a record number of 31,232 participants, who were given certificates when they completed the event at the National Stadium.^[7]

At the end of the National Health Fair, which attracted half a million visitors, the exhibits were moved to the Science Centre for permanent display. These include a soundproof relaxation booth; a three-dimensional food pyramid; as well as poster-size panels and light-box display featuring the caloric content of different types of food and highlighting the harmful effects of cigarettes, alcohol and drugs.^[8]

Following the launch of the Healthy Lifestyle campaign, the Healthy Lifestyle logo was unveiled on 28 July 1992 to give the campaign a more defined identity. The logo was designed to look like the letter “H” – formed by the movements of two sporty figures in red, blue, purple and green – to represent “Health”.  A total of 124 sponsors and organisations from both the public and private sectors contributed to the success of the inaugural campaign.^[9]

References
1. Want to lose weight? Pop into a govt clinic. (1991, December 30). The Straits Times, p. 15. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
2. Health blitz with mass events to rope in S’poreans. (1992, February 21). The Straits Times, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
3. Leong, C. T. (1992, April 20). Your duty to stay fit, PM tells S’poreans. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
4. The Straits Times, 21 Feb 1992, p. 3.
5. Tan, T. (1992, April 15). How fattening is roti prata? Check ministry’s calorie guide. The Straits Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
6.The Straits Times, 21 Feb 1992, p. 3.
7. Record 31,232 people take part in jog/walk. (1992, April 27). The Straits Times, p. 27. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
8. Health fair exhibits to go on show at Science Centre. (1992, May 5). The Straits Times, p. 18. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
9. Logo for a healthy lifestyle. (1992, July 29). The Straits Times, p. 19. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.