Singapore Physical Activity Guidelines (SPAG)

Objectives

The Singapore Physical Activity Guidelines 2022 establish a national, life-course framework to help people of all ages and abilities become more active, reduce sedentary behaviour and improve physical, mental and social wellbeing. They update earlier adult, child and adolescent guidance in line with evolving evidence, lifestyle trends and the World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan on Physical Activity.[1][2][3]The guidelines apply from infancy and preschool age through adulthood and older age, including pregnant and postpartum women, persons with chronic conditions and persons with disabilities where possible.[4][3]

• Promote regular physical activity as a means of reducing risks associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, selected cancers, falls, frailty, depression and anxiety, while supporting sleep, healthy weight, cognitive function, physical function and quality of life.[5][6][7][8]
• Encourage every person to undertake some movement, recognising that physical activity at any intensity can provide benefit and that prolonged sedentary time should be reduced or interrupted where feasible.[9][10][11]
• Provide age- and ability-appropriate recommendations on the frequency, intensity and duration of aerobic, muscle-strengthening, bone-strengthening, flexibility and balance activities.[2][3][9]
• Support preschool children’s active play, movement competence, reduced recreational screen time and adequate sleep through developmentally appropriate guidance.[12][13][14]
• Enable children and youths to average 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily, include vigorous aerobic and muscle- and bone-strengthening activity at least three days weekly, and develop fundamental movement skills.[12][13][15]
• Support adults to achieve 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly and undertake muscle-strengthening activity at least twice weekly, while integrating movement into recreation, household tasks, travel, work and community life.[10][11]
• Promote safe activity during pregnancy and after childbirth, including gradual progression, pelvic-muscle and core-strengthening exercise where appropriate, and adaptation to individual circumstances.[16][17][18]
• Enable persons with disabilities to participate in enjoyable, adapted activities and aim for daily movement, 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly, and regular muscle-, bone- and joint-strengthening activity.[19][20]
• Support older adults to maintain wellbeing, independence and functional capacity, prevent falls, reduce sedentary time, and undertake aerobic, strengthening, balance and flexibility activities.[21][22][23]
• Strengthen social cohesion, belonging, cross-cultural interaction and community participation through group physical activity and sport.[24][7]

Implementation

The guidelines use evidence-informed, locally adapted recommendations and accessible communication to translate global physical-activity advice into practical action in Singapore. Their development was led by the Health Promotion Board and Sport Singapore, with support from a secretariat and expert advisory committee, drawing on World Health Organization guidance and consultation with local and international physical-activity and public-health experts.[4][1]Delivery is intended to involve the general community, medical and health professionals, educators, employers, fitness professionals, community leaders and policymakers.[1][2]

• Communicate recommendations through simple, positive, consumer-friendly infographics, practical tips and examples that enable people to progress towards an active lifestyle regardless of life stage or starting level.[2]
• Adapt materials and activity choices to people’s circumstances, abilities, health conditions, work and family commitments, and support gradual increases in frequency, intensity and duration.[25][26][27][16]
• Embed movement in daily settings through active travel, household and occupational activity, home and school routines, parks, playgrounds, community spaces, sports facilities, family activities and organised groups.[15][11][27][23]
• Promote varied, enjoyable and socially supported activity, including play, sport, walking, cycling, dance, swimming, strength training, Tai Chi, yoga and adapted activities, to help sustain participation.[14][27][19][28]
• Support policymakers to foster an active-living culture through policies, regulations, built-environment measures and social norms that make active behaviour easier.[2]
• Use practical intensity guidance based on speech: light activity generally allows singing and full sentences, moderate activity allows speaking in phrases but not singing, and vigorous activity makes conversation difficult.[3][9][29]
• Apply safety measures by considering health status, fitness, equipment, clothing, weather, hydration, environment, warm-ups, cool-downs, support from companions and emergency preparedness.[7][30]
• Encourage people with illness, uncertainty, relevant symptoms, chronic conditions or pregnancy-related concerns to seek advice from an appropriate health professional before beginning or progressing activity where needed.[30][10][17]
• Use pre-participation screening tools, including the Get Active Questionnaire, to identify health conditions, symptoms, injuries or restrictions that may require activity modification, professional advice or referral.[7][31][32]
• Establish standardised benchmarks for national progress, including the proportion of people meeting physical-activity recommendations and reported muscle-strengthening participation.[2][33][34]

Monitoring & Evaluation

The guidelines establish a limited national monitoring basis centred on population adherence to physical-activity recommendations, while most of the supplied material provides recommendations, evidence summaries and illustrative case studies rather than a comprehensive evaluation or accountability framework.[2][33][34]

• Establish standardised benchmarks for monitoring national progress towards physical-activity recommendations.[2]
• Use the proportion of people meeting World Health Organization physical-activity guidance as a population-level indicator, with adult data reported across age groups from 18 to 74 years.[34]
• Track adult adherence to the physical-activity guidelines over time: overall adherence rose from 73% in 2013 to 80% in 2019, then fell to 76% in 2020, with the decline described as likely related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[33][34]
• Monitor muscle-strengthening activity separately from aerobic activity: in 2020, 33.8% of adults reported sufficient muscle-strengthening activity.[33]
• Disaggregate muscle-strengthening participation by age and sex, with reported rates of 44.1% among adults aged 18 to 29 years, about 33.3% among those aged 30 to 59 years, 25.5% among those aged 60 to 74 years, 40.1% among males and 27.8% among females.[33]
• Use available child and youth participation data to identify gaps: in 2016, 24% of school-aged children overall, 30% of boys and 17% of girls aged 11 to 17 years met the World Health Organization guideline.[30]

National Population Health Survey and World Health Organization Global Health Observatory sources are cited as evidence references, but the supplied extracts do not explain their operational role in a formal national surveillance or evaluation system.[35][36]The National Sports Participation Survey is also cited as evidence of associations between sports participation and social interaction, belonging, national pride, community engagement and trust in state institutions.[24][7]

• Assess individual activity readiness through the Get Active Questionnaire, including health conditions, symptoms, injuries and circumstances that may require activity to be avoided, modified or assessed further.[31]
• Measure individual aerobic activity by recording days per week of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity and minutes undertaken on those days; adults calculate weekly activity by multiplying average days by average minutes per day.[37]
• Compare questionnaire responses with stated benchmarks of at least 150 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity weekly for adults and 60 minutes daily for children and young people, alongside muscle- and bone-strengthening activity thresholds.[37]
• Require respondents to confirm that questionnaire information is correct and repeat the questionnaire if their health status changes.[38]
• Use practical intensity assessment where relevant: light activity permits talking in full sentences and singing, moderate activity permits speaking in phrases or short sentences but not singing, and vigorous activity makes talking difficult.[29]

The guidelines identify a wide set of intended health and wellbeing outcomes that could inform evaluation, including physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, healthy weight, movement competence, cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal fitness, cardiometabolic health, cognitive function, academic outcomes, depression, falls, functional capacity and social wellbeing.[39][40][41][42][8][43]However, these outcomes are generally presented as evidence-supported benefits rather than as defined programme indicators, quantified targets or mandatory reporting measures.[5][6][39][42]

The supplied material does not specify a national reporting cycle, data-collection protocol, evaluation design, indicator definitions, performance targets, responsible reporting body, independent review process, enforcement mechanism or formal accountability arrangement.[2][33][34]This limitation also applies across the life-stage guidance for preschool children, school children and youths, adults, pregnant and postpartum women, persons with disabilities and older adults.[12][10][17][19][22]

Costing & Financing

No budgets, programme costs, funding allocations, financing sources, resource-mobilisation arrangements, funding gaps or economic assumptions are specified in the supplied extracts.[4][1][10][16][23]

• Note that the guidance refers to potentially accessible activity settings and resources, including homes, schools, community spaces, local parks, park facilities, fitness corners and publicly available sports facilities, but provides no cost or financing information for their use or provision.[15][11][23][28]
• Note that implementation support may involve health professionals, Qualified Exercise Professionals, educators, employers, community leaders and activity providers, but the extracts do not assign financial responsibilities or resource allocations to these groups.[1][31][37]
• Note that the guidance recommends tools and support such as pre-participation screening, professional consultation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator knowledge, adapted activities and safe equipment, but does not cost these measures.[7][30][19][31]

Accordingly, the source does not permit assessment of affordability, cost-effectiveness, investment requirements, recurrent expenditure, implementation capacity, funding sufficiency or distribution of financial resources across population groups.[4][1][17][21][44]