Volume 51, Number 9
September 2022

Wheeled recreational devices (WRDs) such as bicycles, inline skates, skateboards and scooters can cause significant morbidity and mortality. A recent study examined injuries sustained by children from WRD use and found almost half were soft tissue injuries, followed by fractures. Upper limb, and head and neck regions were the most common sites of injury. Of the patients, 38% had severe injuries with potential morbidity. Children who are heavier and of the school-going age are more prone to developing injuries from the use of WRDs. These children would benefit from protective wrist and elbow guards and helmets.

Illustration by Ashley Ting

Inclusive and safe active mobility

Physical activity is considered the “best buy” in public health practice to prevent non-communicable diseases. This perspective overshadows the importance of avoiding injuries due to physical activity in vulnerable populations.1-3  Non-communicable conditions are considered the third most common cause of mortality in people aged 5–19 years.4 However, injuries are...

Different strokes for different folks

Atrial fibrillation (AF) remains the most common arrhythmia since William Harvey’s observation of fibrillating auricles in open chest animal models in 1628. Willem Einthoven first documented ECG tracing of AF in 1906. Fast forward several hundred years since its first observation, AF remains a mystery from its pathogenesis and...

From Astana to Singapore: Primary Health Care is key to the long-term success of Singapore’s health system

The Ministry of Health, Singapore (MOH) has launched a wide-ranging and ambitious initiative for a life-course approach to drive the population’s health.1 This approach aims at ensuring the sustainability of the healthcare system. Crucially, it also embodies core principles of the health systems orientation that have long been advocated...

Non-motorised active mobility device use by children in Singapore: Injury patterns and risk factors for severe injury

The Active Mobility Act was introduced in Singapore in 2017 to promote the safe use of personal mobility devices. Non-motorised active mobility devices (AMDs) are popular among children and include tricycles, bicycles, scooters, inline skates, skateboards, longboards and waveboards. While the use of AMDs contributes towards an active lifestyle...

Sex and ethnicity modified high 1-year mortality in patients in Singapore with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common clinically significant arrhythmia and is associated with increased risks of stroke, dementia, heart failure (HF) and death.1 Globally, 33.5 million people were reported to have AF in 2010,2 with numbers expected to increase exponentially by 2050.3-7 While in part due to ageing...

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