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PubMed2006

A critical review of Singapore's policies aimed at supporting families caring for older members.

This article critically examines the family-oriented social policies of the Singapore government aimed at supporting families caring for older members. The sectors focused on are financial security, health, and housing. Singaporeans have been reminded that the family should be the first line of defense for aging families, followed by the community - the state would step in as the last resort. Drawing from recent research and examination of the state policies, the author argues that more should be done to help family caregivers looking after elder relatives. Recommendations for innovative ways to recognize and reward family carers conclude the paper.

Aging↗
PubMed2003

Is a re-evaluation of WHO body mass index cut-off values needed? The case of Asians in Singapore.

This paper describes body composition and dietary intakes of the three major ethnic groups residing in Singapore and how these are related to cardiovascular risk factors in these groups. When the relationship between body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and body fat percentage was studied, Singaporeans were found to have higher percentage of body fat compared with Caucasians with the same BMI. At BMIs that are much lower than WHO-recommended cut-off values for obesity, both the absolute and relative risks of developing cardiovascular risk factors are markedly elevated for all three ethnic groups. The excessive fat accumulation and increased risks at lower BMIs signal a need to re-examine cut-off values for obesity among Chinese, Malays, and Indians.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1985

Idiopathic scoliosis. Prevalence and ethnic distribution in Singapore schoolchildren.

Routine examination for spinal deformity as part of a school health screening programme was introduced in Singapore in 1981. The three different ethnic groups included in the study provided figures for the prevalence of idiopathic scoliosis in an Asian population. A three-tier system of examination was used and a total of 110744 children in three age groups were studied. In those aged 6 to 7 years the prevalence was 0.12%. The prevalence in those aged 11 to 12 years was 1.7% for girls and 0.4% for boys, a ratio of 3.2 to 1. In girls aged 16 to 17 years the prevalence was 3.1%. In the latter two age groups there was a significantly higher prevalence in Chinese girls as compared with Malay and Indian girls. The optimal age for school screening seemed to be 11 to 12 years, but repeated examinations may be worthwhile.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

A longitudinal study of students' academic self-concept in a streamed setting: the Singapore context.

BACKGROUND: Although several studies support the existence of a negative stream effect on lower-ability stream students' academic self-concept, there is not enough longitudinal research evidence to preclude the possibility that the stream effect may only be temporary. In addition, not much is known about the effect of streaming on changes in students' academic self-concept over time. AIMS: The main aims of the study were to examine the effect of streaming on (a) the students' academic self-concept immediately after the streaming process, and at yearly intervals for 3 consecutive years, and (b) the changes in students' academic self-concept over a 3 year period. SAMPLE: The sample comprised 495 Secondary 1 students (approximate age 13) from three government coeducational schools in Singapore. METHOD: A longitudinal survey using a self-reported questionnaire. RESULTS: Results showed that the lower-ability stream students had a more negative academic self-concept than the higher-ability stream students immediately after streaming, but they had a more positive academic self-concept 3 years after being streamed. In addition, it was established that the students' academic self-concept declined from Secondary 1 to Secondary 3. Nonetheless, the decline was more pronounced for the higher-ability stream students than the lower-ability stream students. CONCLUSIONS: Streaming may have a short-term negative impact on lower-ability stream students' academic self-concept. However, in the long run, being in the lower-ability stream may not be detrimental to their academic self-concept.

Achievement↗
PubMed1992

Labour migration and policy formation in a newly industrialized country: a case study of illegal Thai workers in Singapore.

"Towards the end of 1988, the Singapore Government began to express concern about over-reliance of the economy on foreign workers and later about the presence of large numbers of illegal workers. This article examines the policies and legislation introduced to change these situations, and examines in detail the repatriation of 10,000 unauthorized Thai immigrants. In addition to economic policy and practice, the social and political aspects of migration and labour utilization are considered, as are the implications for international relations."

Asia↗
PubMed2000

Singapore's economic internationalization and its effects on work and family.

There are tensions between Singapore's economic strategy of internationalization and the emphasis on family life. Frequent travelers, unaccompanied expatriates, and their families experience these tensions. The frequent or extended absences of frequent travelers and expatriates make it difficult for them to fulfill their family roles and obligations, and may lead to estrangement from their families. Families who are left behind may face role conflict and role strain, but actually draw closer in their efforts to cope with the absence of their absent members. Researchers, policy-makers, and employers can contribute towards reducing the tensions between internationalization and family togetherness.

Asia↗
PubMed2006

Societal learning in epidemics: intervention effectiveness during the 2003 SARS outbreak in Singapore.

BACKGROUND: Rapid response to outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases is impeded by uncertain diagnoses and delayed communication. Understanding the effect of inefficient response is a potentially important contribution of epidemic theory. To develop this understanding we studied societal learning during emerging outbreaks wherein patient removal accelerates as information is gathered and disseminated. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We developed an extension of a standard outbreak model, the simple stochastic epidemic, which accounts for societal learning. We obtained expressions for the expected outbreak size and the distribution of epidemic duration. We found that rapid learning noticeably affects the final outbreak size even when learning exhibits diminishing returns (relaxation). As an example, we estimated the learning rate for the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Singapore. Evidence for relaxation during the first eight weeks of the outbreak was inconclusive. We estimated that if societal learning had occurred at half the actual rate, the expected final size of the outbreak would have reached nearly 800 cases, more than three times the observed number of infections. By contrast, the expected outbreak size for societal learning twice as effective was 116 cases. CONCLUSION: These results show that the rate of societal learning can greatly affect the final size of disease outbreaks, justifying investment in early warning systems and attentiveness to disease outbreak by both government authorities and the public. We submit that the burden of emerging infections, including the risk of a global pandemic, could be efficiently reduced by improving procedures for rapid detection of outbreaks, alerting public health officials, and aggressively educating the public at the start of an outbreak.

Communicable Diseases, Emerging↗
PubMed2004

Bone mineral density and hip axis length in Singapore's multiracial population.

Ethnic differences in bone density and hip geometry are known to exist, even within the same population. A recent study in Singapore showed that there were significant racial differences in hip fracture rates, with Chinese having the highest incidence of hip fractures. The aim of this study was to compare the bone mineral density (BMD) and hip axis length in Chinese, Malay, and Indian women. A total of 1575 women aged 20-59 yr were recruited, of which 77.6% (1222) were Chinese, 7.7% (122) Malays, and 14.7% (231) Indians. There was no significant difference in peak BMD of both lumbar spine and femoral neck among the three ethnic groups. However, in the older age group (50-59 yr), both Chinese and Malay women had significantly lower femoral neck BMD compared to Indian women. There was no significant loss in BMD of the lumbar spine between the second and fifth decades in all the three races. Between the second and fifth decade, Chinese and Malay women had significant bone loss in the femoral neck of 6.6% and 8.2%, respectively, whereas Indian women did not show any significant bone loss. Chinese women had significantly longer hip axis length compared to either Malay or Indian women (9.87 +/- 0.52 cm vs 9.67 +/- 0.49 cm; p < 0.005; and 9.69 +/- 0.55 cm, p < 0.05, respectively). The initial findings suggest racial differences in bone density and hip geometry exist in the local community. Future research should include prospective, longitudinal studies to determine the age-related bone loss in these three racial groups. It is also important to investigate the differences of spine and hip fracture rates and their relationship with bone density and hip axis length.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Detection of dengue viruses in field caught male Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Singapore by type-specific PCR.

Field male Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) adults caught from fixed monitoring stations weekly for 1 yr were screened for dengue viruses (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4). The assay was carried out using a single-step reverse transcription (or transcriptase)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (RT-PCR) followed by a semi-nested PCR using an upstream consensus primer and four type-specific primers within the nonstructural protein three gene (NS3) of dengue viruses. The diagnostic fragments for DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4 serotypes were of sizes 169, 362, 265, and 426 bp, respectively. Results showed that in Singapore 1.33% and 2.15% of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus adult male mosquitoes, respectively, were positive for dengue viruses. The serotypes detected in male Ae. aegypti was DEN-1 (44%), followed by DEN-2 (22.2%) and DEN-3 (22.2%), and DEN-4 (11.1%). For Aedes albopictus males, the serotype was DEN-4 (38.9%), followed by DEN-2 (33.3%), DEN-3 (16.7%), and DEN-1 (11.1%).

Aedes↗
PubMed1983

Diabetic amputees in Singapore.

We studied the clinical features of 262 consecutive patients who had 289 limb amputations in the University Department of Orthopaedics, Singapore General Hospital from January, 1978 to June, 1980. Of these, 171 (59.2%) were done for diabetic complications, 43 (14.9%) for trauma and 27 (9.3%) for atherosclerosis. The mean age of the three groups were 65 +/- 10 (S.D.), 32 +/- 17, and 75 +/- 8 years respectively. The indications for amputation in diabetics were gangrene (36%), ulcer (25%), infection (14%), gangrene and ulcer (11%), gangrene and infection (8.2%), and ulcer and infection (6%). The majority of diabetics were treated with oral agents (80.2%) and diet (6.4%), with 13.4% on insulin. Most patients had their diabetes for less than ten years-38.6% less than five years and 30.7% six-ten years. The mean known duration of the lesion was 1.13 +/- 1.42 months, with 38.7% less than one week. To determine the prevalence of peripheral vascular disease in diabetics admitted for amputation, the ankle/arm systolic BP ratio at rest and post-exercise were determined. In the affected leg, 16/19 patients had decreased ankle/arm systolic BP ratio. In another study, 23/26 diabetic amputees had decreased ankle/arm systolic BP ratio in the remaining leg. These data suggest that diabetes is the most common indication for amputation in this study. Most of these patients are Type II diabetics and have peripheral vascular disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Occurrence of polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in green mussels (Perna viridis) from Singapore, Southeast Asia.

The green mussel, Perna viridis, was used in this study to measure levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and, for the first time, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) in the marine environment. Samples were collected from eight different locations in the coastal waters of Singapore between April and May 2002. Forty-one PCB and 21 PBDE congeners were quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and were all positively detected in the mussel tissues. Total concentrations in green mussel tissues ranged from 6.1 to 82 ng/g and 2.0 to 38 ng/g on a dry-weight basis for PCBs and PBDEs, respectively. Such levels reflect the ubiquity of these persistent organic pollutants in a tropical marine environment. Principal component analysis was applied to the PCB data and revealed similarities in the congener composition of mussel tissues to that of the commercial PCB mixture, Aroclor 1254. The PBDE levels, to date, were approximately one order of magnitude greater than the upper concentrations reported for blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) tissues in Europe. At some sampling sites, the congener composition of PBDEs in P. viridis tissues indicated recent exposure to a commercial pentabrominated flame retardant.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Overview of the current international trade in ornamental fish, with special reference to Singapore.

The value of international trade in ornamental fish in 1992 was US$247 million, based on import statistics, or US$140 million, based on export statistics. Between 1983 and 1992, annual growth of imports and exports averaged 21% and 16%, respectively. More than 100 countries are involved in this trade. The top five exporting countries in 1992 were Singapore (32%), Hong Kong (11%), the United States of America (USA) (11%), the Netherlands (7%) and Germany (6%). The top five importing countries were the USA (26%), Japan (17%), Germany (9%), the United Kingdom (9%) and France (7%). The bulk of ornamental fish trade internationally are freshwater in origin and farm-bred. Marine ornamental fish species and invertebrates are mainly wild-caught. An estimated one billion ornamental fish are exported annually, involving one thousand species or more. Mass-cultured fish species - e.g. guppy, tetra, angel, swordtail, platy, goldfish, koi - have long been established in the market and will continue to constitute the major market share. The author discusses the results of a trial on quality enhancement of the shipment of guppies, and makes recommendations on treatment to minimise stress and disease transmission.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Effects of social disincentive policies on fertility behavior in Singapore.

Five social disincentive policies were implemented by the Singapore government in 1973 to augment its fertility reduction program. The policies involve increasing delivery charges in government hospitals, school admission priority for children, maternity leave, priority in allocation of government housing, and income tax relief. In a two-year prospective study, 1,010 married abortees (study group) and 943 married parturients (comparison group) were questioned to determine their awareness and understanding of these policies, and whether the policies influenced their decision concerning their present pregnancies or would influence future decisions. Except for the tax policy, these disincentives were known to a fairly large proportion of the women studied. Knowledge was positively related to education level. Four of the five disincentives have, to varying degrees, influenced the women's decisions concerning their present pregnancies and may do so in future pregnancies. The two most widely known and most influential disincentives are those affecting school admission priority and accouchement fees.

Demography↗
PubMed1988

History of blood transfusion, tattooing, acupuncture and risk of hepatitis B surface antigenaemia among Chinese men in Singapore.

To determine whether a history of blood transfusion, tattooing, and acupuncture is associated with an increased risk of hepatitis B surface antigenaemia, a study of 6,328 Chinese men between 35 and 65 years of age was undertaken in Singapore. The age-adjusted odds ratios were 1.44 (95% CI: 1.14, 1.83) for blood transfusion, 1.14 (95% CI: 0.80, 1.63) for tattooing, and 0.88 (95% CI: 0.71, 1.11) for acupuncture. Using no history of any of the three percutaneous procedures as reference, the age-adjusted odds ratio for blood transfusion only was 1.40, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.84, and for blood transfusion plus tattooing was 2.59, 95% CI: 1.18, 5.70. The proportion of HBsAg positive cases attributable to blood transfusion and tattooing, as measured by the population attributable risk, are 4.1 and 0.7 per cent, respectively.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1999

Correlates of leisure-time physical activity in an elderly population in Singapore.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed correlates of leisure-time physical activity among the elderly in Singapore. METHODS: A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in 1998 with 2494 subjects 60 years and older. RESULTS: Regular leisure-time physical activity was practiced by 47.0% of men and 38.5% of women. It was significantly correlated with family support, proportion of family members exercising, awareness of benefits of exercise, and healthy dietary habits. Other significant but negative correlates were smoking and barriers to exercise, such as lack of time and poor health. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise programs for the elderly should aim at helping them overcome barriers to exercise, informing them of the benefits of exercise, and involving their families.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Taxonomical and morphological notes on two species of mudskippers, Periophthalmus walailakae and Periophthalmodon schlosseri (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Singapore.

The mudskipper Periophthalmus walailakae is recorded from Singapore, where it was previously misidentified as Periophthalmodon schlosseri, with which it is syntopic. Periophthalmus walailakae is distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: pelvic fins completely united and shaped like a disk, and first dorsal fin dark brown or black, with a rounded posterior edge and a white distal margin. This species most closely resembles Pn. schlosseri but has one row of teeth on the upper jaw, scales on the isthmus, and a different upper lip and jaw morphology. Contrary to an earlier report, scales are present on the snout, interorbital, and isthmus of Ps. walailakae. The two species can also be distinguished by size, external morphology, and body color patterns.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Correlation between semen parameters and the Hamster Egg Penetration Test (HEPT) among fertile and subfertile men in Singapore.

The objective of this retrospective study was to distinguish between fertile and subfertile men based on their semen parameters and hamster egg penetration test (HEPT) outcome. This study involved 110 subfertile men recruited from an infertility clinic and 48 fertile men attending an antenatal clinic in Singapore. The men were required to donate a semen specimen for semen analysis and HEPT assay. The results indicated that the subfertile group had significantly lower normal sperm morphology according to the Tygerberg strict criteria, and lower progressive motility (P < .05). Semen volume, density, HEPT decondensation rate, and sperm penetration index were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that sperm morphology had the highest predictive power of 65.7% with a threshold value of 7%, and progressive motility had a predictive power of 61.8% with a threshold value of 50%. Using the tenth percentile of the fertile population as the cutoff, lower adjusted thresholds of 3% for sperm morphology and 28% for progressive motility were obtained, giving higher positive predictive values of 81.8% and 84.4%, respectively. This study shows that these new cutoff values can be used to screen the general population to identify subfertile men. In contrast, the HEPT proved to be an insensitive and unreliable assay in identifying subfertile males. To our knowledge the comparison of HEPT and semen parameters between subfertile and fertile men has not been previously reported in an Asian population.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Analysis of phosphorus removal and anaerobic selector performance in a full-scale activated sludge process in Singapore.

This paper analyses the performance of the anaerobic selector (A/O process) in a full-scale activated sludge process receiving mostly industrial sewage discharge (> 60%) in Singapore. In addition to the sludge settleability, enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) was studied. The sludge volume index (SVI) reduced from 200 to 80 ml g(-1) and foaming was suppressed significantly, indicating the effectiveness of the anaerobic selector in improving sludge settleability. The phosphorus removal efficiency was 66%, and 7.5 mg HAc-COD was consumed per mg PO4(3-) -P removed. In the anaerobic compartment, 31% of the SCOD and 73% of the acetic acid in the settled sewage were removed with PO4(3-) -P release of 14.1 mg PO4(3-)-P l(-1). The linear correlation between PO4(3-) -P release in the anaerobic compartment and PO4(3-) -P uptake in the aerobic compartment indicates that there is about 0.8 mg PO4(3-) -P release in the anaerobic compartment per mg PO34(3-) -P uptake in the aerobic compartment. The fates of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and its short chain acids (SCAs) in the process were studied and discussed.

Acetic Acid↗