HPB to test if wearable trackers can help S'poreans better manage health

One project will monitor glucose levels; another will use data for health counselling

- Judith Tan

Two pilot programmes will soon kick off to see if wearable trackers and other technology can give individuals real-time feedback they can use to improve their health.

The Health Promotion Board (HPB), which is working with technology and healthcare companies on the projects, said they could translate into real-world interventions to help at-risk individuals and those with chronic conditions delay the onset of diseases and better manage their health.

In the first programme called DigiCoach, up to 2,500 participants will wear a device that monitors their glucose levels continuously, giving them real-time information of how those change throughout the day with diet and physical activity.

DigiCoach will be conducted in partnership with American multinational medical devices and healthcare company Abbott, which manufactures the continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device, and Health2Sync, a company that builds healthcare solutions to support those with prediabetes and high body mass index (BMI).

In the second programme, HPB will work with Google, Singapore-based health tech company ConnectedLife and Fullerton Health to manage high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

The HealthTrack SG project will pull together data from each of the 3,500 participants from various tracking apps into a single platform that health coaches at Fullerton Health can use for health counselling.