Abbott and Sengkang General Hospital (SKH) announced a new three-year collaboration to expand muscle health screening, training and public education efforts across Singapore. The initiative aims to help more people identify and address age-related muscle loss before it affects strength, mobility and independence.

The collaboration builds on a partnership established in 2023 that has trained nearly 300 healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists and dietitians, to assess muscle health and support earlier intervention.

Muscle health is fundamental to healthy aging. Adults can lose up to 8 per cent of their muscle mass per decade from age 40, with the rate accelerating after age 70.

In Singapore, one in three adults aged 60 and above is affected by sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass, strength and function, which can increase the risk of frailty, falls, and fractures.i Building on its foundation of awareness and professional education, the expanded partnership will focus on three key areas:

• Professional capacity building: More healthcare professionals will be trained to identify individuals at risk of muscle loss, conduct muscle health assessments and support earlier intervention when needed. Healthcare professionals will be equipped with Abbott’s Asian reference Muscle Health Chart, developed using reference values from Asian populations, to help individuals better understand and monitor their muscle health according to their age and gender.
• Screening and early identification: Muscle health screening will be integrated into hospital and community settings. Assessments will include simple, evidence-based measures such as handgrip strength and sit-tostand tests, helping identify individuals who may be at risk of muscle loss and could benefit from earlier intervention.
• Public education and prevention: Community education efforts will be expanded to increase awareness of muscle health and empower individuals to take proactive steps to support muscle health through regular assessment, good nutrition and resistance exercise.

“Muscle loss is one of the most under-recognized threats to healthy aging, and yet it is largely preventable with the right knowledge and action,” said Dr. Frederick Koh, Deputy Director, Research and Clinician Lead, Sengkang General Hospital. “Through our PRIME initiative (Promoting Muscle Health through Empowerment), we have 2 been working since 2023 to change that by training healthcare professionals, reaching communities, and building the evidence base for muscle health care in Singapore.

This next phase takes us further by bringing screening directly into hospital and community settings, so we can identify those at risk earlier and step in before significant decline occurs.