Improving health outcomes through behavioural nudges

From left: Prof Benjamin Seet, Group Chairman Medical Board (Research), NHG; Prof Chong Phui-Nah, Clinical Director, HABITS; Senior Advisor and Senior Consultant, Family Medicine, NHG; Prof Derrick Heng, Deputy Director-General of Health (Public Health), Ministry of Health; Prof Joe Sim, Group Chief Executive Officer, NHG; Dr Janil Puthucheary, SMS, Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of Health; Prof Ho Teck Hua, NTU president; Prof May O. Lwin; Centre Director, HABITS; NTU Associate Provost (Faculty Affairs); Prof Joseph Sung, NTU SVP (Health & Life Sciences)

NTU Singapore and the National Healthcare Group (NHG) have launched Singapore’s first academic-clinical research unit dedicated to health behavioural sciences.

The joint research centre aims to identify underlying factors exacerbating priority health concerns in Singapore and Asian populations, and to develop knowledge and solutions that will impact public health policy, drive health promotion efforts, and support national strategies such as Healthier SG.

HABITS brings together more than 30 researchers from NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, and multidisciplinary clinicians from NHG.

At the launch of HABITS, the Centre directors shared preliminary findings from a multi-city study that dives into various health behaviours in Asia. The study findings will guide healthcare providers and policy makers in developing and implementing effective nudges and interventions, as well as tailored treatment strategies, in both the patient population and the community.

For a start, HABITS will focus on five key disease areas – infectious disease, ageing and palliative care, mental wellness, cancer, and metabolic syndromes – with plans to expand its scope over time.

More information can be found on westudyhabits.com.