NOTICE PAPER NO. 3390
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON OR AFTER 5 FEBRUARY 2025
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Ms He Ting Ru
MP for Sengkang GRC
Question No. 7163
To ask the Minister for Health in relation to the Grow Well SG personalised health plan initiative for children (a) how many hours of contact time will each child or family expect to receive on a yearly basis to discuss and develop the plan; (b) what sort of personnel will be involved in developing the plans; and (c) what will be the anticipated additional manpower requirements to meaningfully roll-out the initiative through schools, broken down into the types of professions involved.
NOTICE PAPER NO. 3392
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON OR AFTER 5 FEBRUARY 2025
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Yip Hon Weng
MP for Yio Chu Kang
Question No. 7182
To ask the Minister for Health (a) what measures is the Ministry taking to disseminate information on Grow Well SG and the Guidance on Screen Use in Children effectively to parents and caregivers; (b) how does the Ministry plan to support parents in overcoming challenges related to the implementation of these guidelines; and (c) how does the Ministry monitor the effectiveness of the Guidance on Screen Use in Children given the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Answer
1 Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to answer Questions 4 and 5 together as they both touch on Grow Well SG please?
2 Besides leveraging mass media, the health guidelines including screen time for children, will be conveyed to parents via the annual health screening programme in mainstream schools to prepare children’s Health Plans. Information is also available through the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Parents Gateway.
3 The annual screening starts with parents of Primary 1 to 3 students pre-filling a Lifestyle Questionnaire to reflect on their child’s current lifestyle habits. During the school health screening, trained nurses and lifestyle coaches from the Health Promotion Board (HPB) will engage each student individually, review responses from the Lifestyle Questionnaire, and offer suggestions to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
4 Ms He asked specifically about time duration. The entire process of screening and consultation for each child may take about 30 minutes. As to how much time a child or family will spend each year to discuss about Health Plans, it really depends. Three ministries have worked together to strengthen the preventive care support for children under Grow Well SG. But it will be up to the families to make full use of Grow Well SG.
5 I believe most parents want to be actively involved in building the health of their children. We will encourage parents to review their children’s Health Plan, utilise the starter kit and resources on Parent Hub and Healthy 365, have discussions with their children and commit to adopt healthy habits in them.
6 Many parents may face challenges in meeting the updated guidelines on screen use. I got many queries during Chinese New Year. There are tips and best practices available on platforms such as the Parent Hub website and Digital for Life portal, as well as through Families for Life parenting programmes. Parents are also in various support groups. I hope they leverage these groups to share practices and provide support to each other. Compare less about how much tuition they have for their children, compare more about parenting tips and how to wean their children off excessive device time. I believe the lifelong impact of healthy habits from young is more profound than the academic benefits of enrichment classes and tuition.
7 As the implementation of the Health Plan largely taps on MOE and HPB’s existing processes, we are not deploying additional manpower. That said, it changes the way we do things, with a stronger focus on preventive care for children, and involving parents to develop and follow up on Health Plans.
8 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked about monitoring results. The annual Lifestyle Questionnaire provided to parents as part of the Health Plans, will contain self-reported data on lifestyle habits of their children. Through the results, we will see if Grow Well SG is gradually shifting the health habits, including screen time, of our young.
9 It takes a village to raise a child. Building healthy habits in our children is a long-term and whole-of-society endeavour. Under Grow Well SG, the Ministry of Health provides updated health advisories and timely resources; our schools provide the most appropriate platform to educate children and parents about health habits; HPB supports the schools in developing health plans for children; its Healthy 365 app offers healthy lifestyle programmes for children, which are good alternatives to screen time; and the Parenting for Wellness toolbox by MOE, Ministry of Social and Family Development and HPB includes resources on topics such as managing screen use. All these are important resources and support for parents, who know they are the ultimate educator and guardian for their children.