Family, community bonding can build good emotional health: Gan Kim Yong

SINGAPORE: Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said that pursuing a healthy lifestyle is not just about having good physical health, but it also includes good emotional and mental health as well.

Mr Gan was speaking to reporters at Sunday’s Our Singapore Conversation, which centred on the theme of healthy living in Singapore.

He said emotional health can be achieved through family bonding which can promote a happy and fulfilling lifestyle.

"It’s an important message that while we want to encourage residents to stay healthy, it’s not just physical health — physical health is important, if you eat moderately, sensibly, exercise regularly.

"At the same time, it is also important to make sure that emotionally, they are also healthy. And this can be done by strengthening family bonding and at the same time, community bonding as well.

"So the community can organise a lot more activities to bring these residents together, let them have friendship, build up a social network so that emotionally, mentally, they can also stay healthy and active."

The dialogue, held at Nee Soon East Community Club, follows another health—related national conversation the ministry held for healthcare professionals on Friday.

Residents had various suggestions on how to promote healthy living in Singapore such as extending the opening hours of sports facilities in schools and installing more exercise stations in the estate.

MP for Nee Soon GRC, Patrick Tay, said these suggestions will be taken into consideration for the ward’s neighbourhood renewal programmes.

"I’m glad to hear one or two residents giving me ideas on some of these particular kind of exercise stations which they think there’s a need.

"So I think with that, coupled with some of the suggestions we have done on the ground — because in every neighbourhood renewal programme, we do gather feedback from the ground through surveys — so this will augment the survey that we have done, so that we can tailor and customise fitness stations not just for the not—so—young, but for the various life stages, from the young as well as those preparing for National Service, all the way to the not—so—young."

— CNA/ck