Advancing Behavioural Health through
Practice, Policy, and Partnerships
The SBHS community came together at the 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting in Singapore, united by a shared mission to catalyse change in behavioural health.
Purpose
Singapore's rapid ascent to affluence has reshaped how its people live. Long working hours, desk-bound roles, and sedentary urban lifestyles have driven a surge in lifestyle-related diseases. According to the National Population Health Survey 2024, over one in three residents has hypertension, a prevalence that has nearly doubled since 2010, and the proportion of obese residents (BMI ≥30.0 kg/m²) increased from 10.5% in 2019-2020 to 12.7% in 2023-2024.
While life expectancy remains among the highest in the world, the average Singaporean spends nearly a decade of their life in ill health or disability. This compounds as the population ages. Singapore is now a super-aged society, with one in four citizens set to be 65 or older by 2030. The burden on individuals, families, and the health system will only grow heavier.
Bridging the gap between healthspan and lifespan requires changes in our everyday habits, such as exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet, going for health screenings, and learning more about how to stay healthy. However, health behaviours are complicated. They are influenced by culture, environment, access to healthcare, and factors at every level: societal, institutional, interpersonal, and individual levels, and improving them requires coordinated efforts that consider the full context of people’s lives and decisions.
The Society of Behavioural Health, Singapore, conceived in 2016 and incorporated in 2017 by a core group of like-minded and concerned individuals, continues to tackle these health challenges through awareness raising, capacity building, and collaborative research and practice in Singapore and beyond.
Our Mission
To foster collaborative research, and provide training and services to build on the field of behavioural health and medicine in Singapore.
To plan, organise, and facilitate scientific meetings and conferences for the exchange of scientific information, professional views, research or practice updates, and discussions.
To develop and maintain liaisons and collaboration with the International Society of Behavioral Medicine (ISBM) and other relevant local and regional professional organisations.
To facilitate communication and exchanges among professionals and academics in disciplines related to behavioural health, including public health, social sciences, biomedical research, clinical sciences, and other disciplines.
To increase public awareness and interest in improving behavioural health across vulnerable populations and in the general public.
