SINGAPORE - Singaporeans living in the north exercise less than the rest of the island, and are generally less healthy, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung as he launched a new brisk walking movement in Sembawang Central meant to improve health in the region.

“In the north, the health situation is not as ideal. Our hypertension prevalence is higher, our diabetes prevalence is also higher,” he said on April 12.

“Which is why we are implementing quite a few (health) programmes in the north first, given this situation. With the view that once it’s successful, we want to extend them to the rest of Singapore.”

Brisk walking is the simplest and lowest-entry exercise for most people, said Mr Ong, who is also MP for Sembawang GRC.

Based on data collected by the Health Promotion Board (HPB), the median time spent on physical activity per week for residents in the north was only 100 minutes, compared to the national median of 120 minutes, he noted.

Adults are recommended to have at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, including brisk walking, per week.

On April 12, Mr Ong led a mass brisk walk activity at Bukit Camberra involving 500 residents to kick off the ‘Let’s Jalan’ brisk walking movement in Sembawang Central.

It is a joint effort with SportSG and Active Ageing Centres to encourage residents to set up brisk walking clubs and help residents, particularly those who are inactive, to do regular physical activity.

There are now seven brisk walking clubs - two newly formed - with more than 280 members in Sembawang Central.

In line with this new movement, HPB will also pilot new features for its Healthy 365 app in the area.

The Health Ministry had announced new gamification features during the March debate on its budget and said they would roll out from June 2026.

HPB said in a joint statement with the People’s Association on ...