A comprehensive characterisation of implementation determinants from a pilot trial of an eating-regulation intervention for preschools in Singapore
2023 - Present
Lead: Dr Keri McCrickerd
With the prevalence of overweight and obesity rising among school-age children, preventative efforts are required to promote positive eating behaviours early, and in environments where children spend most of their time. The Appetite Toolbox (ATB) is a teacher-led intervention comprising books, classroom activities, and mealtime practices designed to promote eating regulation skills among children attending preschool childcare in Singapore.
A recent pilot trial demonstrated strong promise for the Appetite Toolbox. However, its effectiveness still needs to be established in full-scale trial to inform further implementation and scaling efforts in the sector. In support of the Appetite Toolbox trial preparation, there will be a strong focus on implementation science, to increase the likelihood of scaling and sustainability efforts to preschools and even home settings.
This work aims to i) understand and characterise the teachers’ implementation experience and ii) develop a rating rule to quantify and prioritise barriers and facilitators to implementing the ATB, using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).
Parts of this work have been presented at Evidence and Implementation Summit 2023, Melbourne conference.
Health District
2023 - Present
Lead: Prof Nick Sevdalis
The Health District@Queenstown project is a multi-collaborative effort aiming to improve the health and well-being of people living in Queenstown at all ages by using scientific research to help plan and build a better Queenstown, and by creating programmes led by the community to help people live healthier and more fulfilling lives. BISI’s objectives on this project is to advise on implementation aspects of the programme work packages and develop models for stakeholder and community engagement in population health that is culturally appropriate for Singapore.
Optimising Preventive Health in Primary Care: GP Study
2023 - 2024
Lead: Dr Tina Chen
Primary care is the foundation of healthcare in Singapore where primary care professionals are the first point of contact for most patients, providing “holistic and personalised care for patients of different age groups” by treating and managing both acute and chronic conditions and offering preventive measures such as health screening to keep the population healthy (Ministry of Health, 2022).
In recent years, to ensure that Singaporeans have easy access to affordable and quality care in the community, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has embarked on a major shift to transform the healthcare system from a reactive model of care to a proactive model in which preventive care is a core tenet. The aim is for Singaporeans to modify their health-seeking behaviours and lifestyle and to anchor Singaporeans with a family doctor to promote and foster community support for healthier lifestyles.
To enable and engage residents in the western cluster to achieve this aim, it is crucial to first understand the needs and capacity of the GPs to deliver a preventive health plan to residents successfully. This study will explore these areas in collaboration with SingHealth and National University Health System (NUHS).
Evaluating the adoption and acceptability of mHealth App “OneNUHS” for the promotion of health and wellness behaviours in adult patients
2022 - 2023
Leads: Mary Ng and Dr Joanne Yoong
National University Health System (NUHS) introduced the OneNUHS app in 2021, a mobile health tool to empower and enable patients to take charge of their health within an integrated healthcare system and to help patients navigate the various healthcare services within NUHS in Singapore.
The integration of the app into ambulatory clinic workflows aims to improve efficiency and help alleviate labour intensive processes such as appointment making and rescheduling, registration and payment, thereby reliving the increasing manpower crunch faced by the healthcare system and ultimately providing greater convenience to patients.
To facilitate the uptake of the app, NUHS worked with the Centre for Behavioural and Implementation Science Interventions (BISI) to describe the barriers and facilitators to adoption and acceptability of the app, and to use the identified factors to inform the subsequent development cycles of the NUHS App.
This work was done in collaboration with NUHS.
Parts of this work have been presented at the Singapore Health and Biomedical Congress 2023, Singapore conference.