Participating Companies and Employees in National Steps Challenge
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the participation rates and promotional strategies for the National Steps Challenge's Corporate Challenge as raised by Miss Cheng Li Hui. Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong stated that Season 2 involved over 65,000 employees from 260 organisations, resulting in participants walking an additional 1,500 steps daily. For the upcoming season, the Health Promotion Board targets 90,000 employees by engaging trade associations, chambers, and unions like the Singapore National Employers Federation and National Trades Union Congress. Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong noted that peer influence and organisational support are key motivators for participants to sustain their increased physical activity. Promotion effectiveness is evaluated through participant feedback, which highlights that competitive team elements are instrumental in encouraging working adults to adopt healthier lifestyles.
Transcript
20 Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for Health (a) how many companies and employees have participated in the previous seasons of the National Steps Challenge; (b) what is the number of companies and employees targeted for the Corporate Challenge of this season's National Steps Challenge; (c) what measures are in place to promote the Corporate Challenge among companies based in Singapore; and (d) whether and how such measures are evaluated for their effectiveness.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: To encourage working adults to participate in the National Steps ChallengeTM, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) introduced a Corporate Challenge in Season 2 which lasted from 14 November 2016 to 28 February 2017. Over 65,000 employees from 260 organisations participated in the Corporate Challenge.
The National Steps ChallengeTM has successfully motivated more Singaporeans to become more active. When individuals took part in the Corporate Challenge, we found that participants walked an additional 1,500 steps per day on average. Interviews with participants indicated that peer influence and organisational support were instrumental in motivating them to walk more. A competitive team element also spurred participants to improve and sustain their efforts.
The upcoming season of the Corporate Challenge will take place from 1 December 2017 to 31 March 2018. HPB aims to attract 90,000 employees to participate. HPB has been actively engaging trade associations, chambers and unions, such as the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, Food Industry Asia, Singapore National Employers Federation, National Trades Union Congress U Live and Singapore International Chamber of Commerce to reach out to their member companies.
We will continue to reach out to more corporations and individuals to participate in the National Steps ChallengeTM and adopt a healthy lifestyle.