Singapore Chinese Research Articles

Does extended experience with other-race nannies predict racial bias in the preschool years?

Most existing studies on racial bias reduction have used short-term interracial interaction interventions with fleeting effects. The current natural experiment examined whether daily interactions with other-race nannies relate to reduced racial bias in the preschool years. We capitalized on a unique child-rearing situation in Singapore whereby children are often cared for by other-race nannies since infancy. Singaporean Chinese 3- to 6-year-olds (N = 100) completed explicit and implicit racial bias measures assessing their preferential bias favoring own-race adults over adults of their nannies’ race. Differential findings were obtained for children’s explicit and implicit racial bias. Extensiveness, but not mere presence, of other-race nanny experience was associated with lower levels of explicit racial bias in children. In contrast, neither presence nor extensiveness of other-race nanny experience was associated with children’s implicit racial bias. Together, these findings suggest that long-term and extensive contact with an other-race caregiver could have subtle mitigating effects on children’s explicit, but not implicit, racial bias.

Longitudinal Dietary Trajectories With Cognitive and Psychosocial Well-Being in Chinese Adults Aged 85 Years and Older in Singapore.

Studies on longitudinal trajectories of diet and the influence on aging in older adults are limited. We characterized diet quality trajectories over the past 2 decades among adults aged ≥85 years and examined their associations with cognitive and psychosocial outcomes. We used data from 861 participants in the population-based Singapore Chinese Health Study. Dietary intakes were assessed at baseline (mean age [range]: 65 [60-74] years) and at follow-ups 3 (85 [81-95]) and 4 (88 [85-97]) years. Diet quality was measured by adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension pattern, and group-based trajectory modeling was used to derive diet quality trajectories. At Follow-up 4, we assessed cognition using the Singapore-modified Mini-Mental State Examination, depressive symptoms using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, social engagement, and self-rated health. Multivariable logistic regression models examined associations of diet quality trajectories with these outcomes. About 49.7% had a trajectory with consistently low diet quality scores, whereas 50.3% had a trajectory with consistently high diet quality scores. Compared to the "consistently low" trajectory, the "consistently high" trajectory had 29% and 26% lower likelihoods of cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms, respectively (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 0.71 [0.51, 0.99] and 0.74 [0.55, 0.99], respectively); as well as 47% higher likelihood of social engagement (1.47 [1.09, 1.98]). No statistically significant association was observed between the trajectories and self-rated health. Maintaining high diet quality throughout the older adult life course was associated with better cognitive and psychosocial well-being in adults aged ≥85 years.

Exposure to Multicultural Context Affects Neural Response to Out-Group Faces: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Recent migration and globalization trends have led to the emergence of ethnically, religiously, and linguistically diverse countries. Understanding the unfolding of social dynamics in multicultural contexts becomes a matter of common interest to promote national harmony and social cohesion among groups. The current functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study aimed to (i) explore the neural signature of the in-group bias in the multicultural context; and (ii) assess the relationship between the brain activity and people's system-justifying ideologies. A sample of 43 (22 females) Chinese Singaporeans (M = 23.36; SD = 1.41) was recruited. All participants completed the Right Wing Authoritarianism Scale and Social Dominance Orientation Scale to assess their system-justifying ideologies. Subsequently, four types of visual stimuli were presented in an fMRI task: Chinese (in-group), Indian (typical out-group), Arabic (non-typical out-group), and Caucasian (non-typical out-group) faces. The right middle occipital gyrus and the right postcentral gyrus showed enhanced activity when participants were exposed to in-group (Chinese) rather than out-group (Arabic, Indian, and Caucasian) faces. Regions having a role in mentalization, empathetic resonance, and social cognition showed enhanced activity to Chinese (in-group) rather than Indian (typical out-group) faces. Similarly, regions typically involved in socioemotional and reward-related processing showed increased activation when participants were shown Chinese (in-group) rather than Arabic (non-typical out-group) faces. The neural activations in the right postcentral gyrus for in-group rather than out-group faces and in the right caudate in response to Chinese rather than Arabic faces were in a significant positive correlation with participants' Right Wing Authoritarianism scores (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the activity in the right middle occipital gyrus for Chinese rather than out-group faces was in a significant negative correlation with participants' Social Dominance Orientation scores (p < 0.05). Results are discussed by considering the typical role played by the activated brain regions in socioemotional processes as well as the role of familiarity to out-group faces.

Abstract 6449: Association between dietary one-carbon metabolism-related nutrients and the risk of colorectal cancer: Findings from the Singapore Chinese Health Study

Abstract Background. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a commonly diagnosed subtype of cancer with a high mortality rate. One-carbon metabolism is a set of complex pathways, responsible for providing methyl group for DNA synthesis, repair and methylation. Adequate DNA methylation maintains chromosome stability and prevents gene disruption. Diet is a major source for key substrates and co-factors (i.e., vitamin B6, choline and folate) involved in one-carbon metabolism. A majority of epidemiologic studies that have evaluated one-carbon metabolism-related nutrients in relation to CRC risk have focused on the potential role of folate only. Due to the involvement of multiple nutrients and the complexity of one-carbon metabolism pathways, a comprehensive assessment of the nutrients involved and their associations with CRC risk is needed. The purpose of the current analysis was therefore to evaluate the association between one-carbon metabolism-related nutrients with the risk of developing CRC using the Singapore Chinese Health Study (SCHS). Methods. The SCHS is an on-going population-based prospective cohort study that includes 61,321 Chinese men and women in Singapore who were 45-74 years of age at baseline. A 165-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to obtain information of dietary intake. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for CRC associated with one-carbon metabolism-related nutrients, including thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate acid, vitamin B12, choline, methionine, and betaine, adjusting for potential confounders. Results. After an average of 17.5 years of follow-up, 2,140 participants developed CRC. An inverse association between folate acid and colon cancer. The HRs and respective 95% CIs for quarters 2, 3 and 4 vs. quarter 1 (the lowest quartile) was 0.98 (0.84-1.14), 0.93 (0.79-1.10) and 0.80 (0.64-0.98) (Ptrend=0.04). Similar pattern was observed between folate acid intake and colon cancer risk among never smokers (HRQ4vsQ1=0.67, 95% CI: 0.51-0.86; Ptrend=0.005). No association was found between other one-carbon metabolism-related nutrients and the risk of colorectal cancer Conclusions. In a large on-going prospective cohort study of more than 61,000 Chinese Singaporeans, we found inverse associations between dietary folate acid and the risk of colon cancer. This association was more obvious among never smokers. Our findings provide critical implication for primary prevention and control of colorectal cancer. Citation Format: Yen Thi-Hai Pham, Aizhen Jin, Renwei Wang, Woon-Puay Koh, Jian-Min Yuan, Hung N. Luu. Association between dietary one-carbon metabolism-related nutrients and the risk of colorectal cancer: Findings from the Singapore Chinese Health Study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 6449.

Abstract 5219: Telomere length distribution, metabolic trait association, and genome-wide association study among Singaporean cohorts

Abstract Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is known as a heritable marker of cellular aging and is a risk factor for several chronic diseases. LTL distribution and association studies are essential in providing insights into telomere homeostasis, its relationship with different metabolic traits, and age-related conditions. Such studies have been underperformed in Asian population groups. Here we estimated LTL using whole-genome sequencing data in 8,045 Singaporean samples across three major ethnic groups - Chinese, Indian, and Malay divided into six cohorts: GUSTO, HELIOS, MEC, PRISM, SEED, and TTSH. LTLs were measured using TelSeq, with normalized LTL as phenotype in subsequent analyses. We demonstrated that average LTL was robustly longer in the childhood cohort (GUSTO) compared to the adult cohorts (P&amp;lt;1.19 × 10−195). We observed ethnicity differences in LTL where adult Singaporean Chinese samples had the longest LTL (5.08kb) as compared to Malay (4.87kb) and Indian (4.65kb) samples in our datasets (P&amp;lt;4.98 × 10−12). Our genetic association analyses replicated multiple variants previously reported to be associated with LTL (binomial P&amp;lt;0.00001) in Asian population groups, providing added confidence in the methodologies used. At the same time, we identified a novel East-Asian-specific novel variant beyond genome-wide association levels (meta P=2.05 × 10−08) at the COL28A1/MIOS gene loci to be associated with LTL in our study. Individual analysis of the GUSTO childhood dataset highlighted a second novel genome-wide hit at RAD17 gene locus to be associated with LTL in our study and indicated that the previously reported variant at the TINF2 locus may have significantly opposing effects (compared to adults) during early developmental stages. Gene-level burden analysis for rare variants (MAF &amp;lt;5%) in adult Chinese cohorts revealed potential cancer association with RET gene (SKAT, P=5.22 × 10−03) and MLH1 gene (SKAT, P=0.037), as well as telomere biology condition association with RECQL4 gene (CMC, P=0.0399, and VT, P=0.0379). Our findings have broadened the understanding of LTL distribution and the underlying associated genetic characteristics in both childhood and adult Singaporean populations. Citation Format: Trang Nguyen, Penny Chan, Ives Lim, Brian Kennedy, Neerja Karnani, Rajkumar Dorajoo, Joanne Ngeow. Telomere length distribution, metabolic trait association, and genome-wide association study among Singaporean cohorts. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 5219.

Low-Carbohydrate Diet Score and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer: Findings from the Singapore Chinese Health Study.

Colorectal cancer is common cancer with a high mortality rate. Low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) score holistically evaluates the LCD pattern from carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake. Epidemiologic data of LCD-colorectal cancer association are sparse. We evaluated the associations between LCD (i.e., total, animal- and plant-based) and colorectal cancer risk in the Singapore Chinese Health Study, a population-based prospective cohort study including 61,321 Chinese in Singapore who were 45 to 74 years old at baseline. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to determine the HRs and respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) for colorectal cancer associated with LCD after adjusting for potential confounders, including age, sex, BMI, physical activity, family history of colorectal cancer, etc. After an average of 19.5 years of follow-up, 2,520 participants developed colorectal cancer (1,608 colon cancer and 912 rectal cancer). Overall, the association between total or plant-based LCD scores with the risk of colorectal, colon, or rectal cancer was null (all Ptrend ≥ 0.28). The animal-based LCD was modestly associated with colon cancer risk (Ptrend = 0.02), but not with rectal cancer. Compared with the lowest quartile, HRs (95% CIs) of colon cancer for quartiles 2, 3, and 4 of animal-based LCD were 1.12 (0.98-1.29), 1.27 (1.10-1.46), and 1.14 (0.99-1.31), respectively. A low-level carbohydrate diet with a high level of animal protein and fat was associated with a moderate increase in the risk of colon cancer among Chinese Singaporeans. High consumption of animal protein/fat and low consumption of carbohydrates may increase colon cancer risk.

Association between gout at midlife and cognitive impairment at late life - The Singapore Chinese Health Study

ObjectivesThe association between gout and risk of cognitive impairment or dementia is not well established. We examined the relationship between having gout at midlife and the risk of developing cognitive impairment later on. MethodsWe used data of 16,948 participants from the population-based Singapore Chinese Health Study cohort. Participants were recruited from 1993 to 1998 at mean age of 53 years and re-contacted for three follow-up interviews: 1999 to 2004 for follow-up 1, 2006 to 2010 for follow-up 2, and 2014 to 2016 for follow-up 3. History of physician-diagnosed gout was self-reported at follow-up 1 and follow-up 2, while cognitive function was assessed with the Singapore modified Mini-Mental State Examination during follow-up 3, when participants had a mean age of 73.2 years. ResultsGout was reported by 1281 (7.6%) participants at either follow-up 1 or 2, and 2243 (14.4%) had cognitive impairment at follow-up 3. A history of gout was associated with reduced risk of cognitive impairment (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.65–0.93). This risk was reduced in a stepwise manner with either increased duration of gout or lower age at first diagnosis of gout (Ptrend <0.001). Compared to those without gout, those with gout for ≥20 years (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.39–0.80) and those with age of onset of gout <50 years old (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.37–0.94) had a lower risk of developing cognitive impairment. ConclusionA young age of onset or a long history of gout was associated with reduced risk of cognitive impairment in late life.

The Association Between Serum Riboflavin and Flavin Mononucleotide With Pancreatic Cancer: Findings From a Prospective Cohort Study.

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) has a prime role in metabolic reactions imperative to cell cycle and proliferation. We investigated the associations between serum concentrations of riboflavin flavin mononucleotide with the risk of pancreatic cancer in a nested case-control study involving 58 cases and 104 matched controls. The Singapore Chinese Health Study, an ongoing prospective cohort study of 63,257 Chinese Singaporeans. Conditional logistic regression method was used to evaluate these associations with adjustment for potential confounders including the level of education, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption, history of diabetes, serum cotinine and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and total methyl donors (ie, the sum of serum choline, betaine, and methionine). The risk of pancreatic cancer increased with increasing level of serum riboflavin in a dose-dependent manner, especially in men (Ptrend = 0.003). The odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) of pancreatic cancer for the second and third tertiles of serum riboflavin, compared with the lowest tertile, were 9.92 (1.65-59.77) and 25.59 (3.09-212.00), respectively. This positive association was stronger in individuals with a longer follow-up period (≥7 years). The findings suggest a potential role of riboflavin in the development of pancreatic cancer, especially in men.

Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools in Singapore: building Chinese elitism or settling on meritocracy, Singapore style?

Since the People’s Action Party (PAP) came into power in 1959, there has been a series of tensions and tussles between the Chinese educated in their vernacular and the western-trained Chinese, whose own mother tongue is Chinese but who embrace western values such as liberty and western religion. The Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools in Singapore – for example, Hwa Chong Institution and Catholic High School – were introduced in 1979 and remain the result of an elite education system built to ensure that there remains a core of Chinese-educated elites in Singapore who are educated at the first language levels in English and in Mandarin (Putonghua). This is to offset the balance between the dominant English-educated Chinese and the Chinese-educated Chinese in Singapore. Several problems are associated with the SAP schools, which are analyzed in this study. This study concludes with the power of Kuan Yew Lee and his PAP and provides several possible solutions to the SAP school problem and how they may be fixed over the short term for all Singaporeans alike. Raffles Institution, Anglo-Chinese School, and St. Joseph’s Institution have long histories in Singapore but are not SAP schools, thus proving that SAP schools may not even be necessary in the first place in the globalized world.

Profiles of Successful Aging and Their Association with All-Cause Mortality Risk among the Oldest-Old Chinese in Singapore

Introduction: Although successful aging (SA) studies have examined objective indicators such as disease and disability, physical and cognitive function, and social and productive engagement, as well as subjective indicators such as self-rated health, function, and well-being, the interplay among these indicators is rarely studied. We studied SA profiles that captured this interplay and evaluated the association of these profiles with mortality in the oldest-old. Methods: Respondents were 1,000 Chinese Singaporeans aged ≥85 years during interview visits from 2017 to 2018. Latent class analysis examined 12 objective and subjective indicators to identify SA profiles. Multivariable Cox regression assessed the relationship between these profiles and all-cause mortality risk through 2020. Results: Four distinct SA profiles were identified: “frail and dejected” (poor performance in nearly all objective and subjective indicators), “frail but resilient” (poor in objective but good in subjective indicators), “fairly fit and neutral” (good in about half of the indicators), and “fit and positive” (good in nearly all indicators). Compared with “frail and dejected,” the adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for mortality risk was 0.63 (0.40–0.97) in “frail but resilient,” 0.56 (0.34–0.93) in “fairly fit and neutral,” and 0.31 (0.19–0.49) in “fit and positive.” Discussion: SA in the oldest-old could take different profiles based on objective and subjective indicators, and these profiles have implications for mortality risk. Individuals with good subjective indicators have advantage in survival despite poor objective indicators.

Cost-effectiveness of selective bone densitometry using the osteoporosis self-assessment tool for Asians in multi-ethnic Asian population.

To determine the cost-effectiveness of selective bone densitometry (SBD) using the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA) as a risk-stratifying tool for the three predominant races (Chinese, Malay and Indian) in Singapore. Decision analytical models were developed using a Markov model. Three scenarios were compared: no bone densitometry, SBD using the OSTA as a pre-screening tool and universal bone densitometry. Those diagnosed with osteoporosis were treated with five years of alendronate therapy. Data sources were from Singapore epidemiological studies, healthcare cost figures and published literature. Measurements include life years, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), costs and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER). Compared to no bone densitometry, SBD using the OSTA would cost between $40,679 and $73,909 per QALY gained for men aged 75-80 and $22,386 to $58,185 per QALY gained for post-menopausal women aged 70-80. Universal bone densitometry would cost $157,955 to $177,127 per QALY gained for men aged 75-80 and $40,179 to $66,112 per QALY gained for post-menopausal women aged 70 to 80 compared to SBD. In general, osteoporosis screening was the most cost-effective for Malays and the least cost-effective for Indians. However, a general guideline should still be applied to the Singaporean population, as further explained later. Overall, the most cost-effective strategy for males would be using OSTA as a risk-stratifying tool at age 75. For post-menopausal women, SBD should be used for women aged 70, while universal bone densitometry should be used for women aged 75-80.

Efficacy in Myopia Control: Does Race Matter?

Efficacy in Myopia Control: Does Race Matter?

Uncrossed Asianisms: How Singaporeans and Japanese sojourners in Singapore are not “Asian”

This paper questions to what extent the category “Asia” is effective as a cultural or ethnic identifier in late modernity. It elucidates the category's plurality and individual customization, as well as the limitations of Asian solidarity, by analyzing the narratives of two groups in Singapore: Chinese Singaporeans and Japanese sojourners. The Singaporean government's national-identity building owes much to Asianist discourses. For Chinese Singaporeans, however, Asia is a void concept; they tend to deny their “Asianness” while emphasizing the hybridity of their identification. For Japanese sojourners, conversely, Singapore awakens their Asian identification and solidarity, albeit temporarily. This paper argues that the foremost concern of people in both groups is not their affiliation with an ethnic group, a state, or “Asia,” but how to navigate their individual lives; moreover, their acceptance of Asianness depends on whether they find the category meaningful in specific situations in the course of their lives.

Dietary Nonstarch Polysaccharide Intake and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: Findings from the Singapore Chinese Health Study.

Non-starch polysaccharides may be beneficial for colorectal cancer primary prevention.

Program of College Students’ Language Attitudes Research

This study investigated the language attitudes of undergraduates, masters and doctoral students at Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) regarding British English, American English, Chinese English and Mandarin through a questionnaire, interview and verbal guise technique. This study included 400 students, including 260 undergraduates, 120 master’s students, and 20 doctoral students. The questionnaire and interview refer to Chen’s language attitudes of Chinese in Singapore and its impact on language ability and language use and measures students’ language attitudes regarding British English, American English, Chinese English, and Mandarin using 10 scales of language characteristics. The verbal guise technique refers to the work by Gao. The material included four language variants, British English, American English, Chinese English, and Mandarin. This study employed quantitative statistics and analyzed the emotional identity, social status, and utility of the questionnaire results using Excel. The factor analysis used SPSS statistical software and combined 12 evaluation items for undergraduate, master’s degree and doctoral students. We concluded that the questionnaire, interview, and matching guise technique could research language variant attitudes from the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects, respectively. The results revealed that students with different degrees (undergraduate, master’s and doctoral) at SISU display similarities and differences in their views of different languages or language variants.&nbsp;

Widowhood and Mortality Among Chinese Older Adults in Singapore: The Roles of Gender and Perceived Social Support.

Although the association between widowhood and mortality is well established, the impact of widowhood on mortality could differ by social support, gender, and widowhood duration. We studied the association between widowhood and mortality among older Chinese adults in Singapore and analyzed how social support, gender, and widowhood duration may modify this association. We used data from 15,858 participants aged 61-96 years from the third follow-up of the population-based Singapore Chinese Health Study in 2014-2016. Mortality data were obtained through linkage with the national death registry through 31st December 2018, and social support was measured with the Duke Social Support Scale. We used Cox proportional hazard models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between widowhood and mortality risk. Compared with those married, widowed adults had a higher mortality risk (HR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.01-1.38), and this risk was higher for those who were either recently widowed (<5 years; HR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.00-1.63) or long-term widowed (>10 years; HR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.07-1.54). Among men, those recently widowed had the highest mortality risk (HR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.06-2.13), whereas, among women, those long-term widowed had the highest mortality risk (HR = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.99-1.60). In the analysis stratified by social support, widowhood was associated with mortality among those with low social support (HR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.05-1.54), but not among those with high social support (HR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.76-1.33). Widowhood was associated with increased mortality risk, particularly among recently widowed men and long-term widowed women. Having adequate social support could attenuate the adverse effects of widowhood among older adults.

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

We investigated sex and ethnic differences in the incidence, clinical characteristics and 1-year mortality of patients with newly diagnosed AF in a multi-ethnic population. This retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with AF from 2008 to 2015 was based on medical claims, casemix and subvention data submitted to the Ministry of Health. Patients with AF were matched with controls without AF for age (3-year bands), sex and ethnicity, and categorised as middle-aged (45-64 years) or elderly (≥65 years) among major ethnic groups in Singapore (Chinese, Malay and Indian). Among 40,602 adults with AF (elderly 74%), Malays had the highest age-standardised incidence rate of AF, followed by Chinese and Indians; and the rate was higher in men. Despite having the worst cardiovascular risk profile, Indians had the lowest prevalence and incidence of AF. The 1-year mortality rate after newly diagnosed AF was 22-26 deaths per 100 people. Newly diagnosed AF was independently associated with increased 1-year all-cause mortality among middle-aged (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 9.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 7.36-11.20) and elderly adults (AOR 3.60, 95% CI 3.40-3.80) compared with those without AF. Sex differences in mortality among patients with AF were limited to elderly adults (men: AOR 1.17, 95% CI 1.11-1.24), while Indians were associated with a 30% increased odds of mortality compared with Chinese regardless of age (middle-aged: AOR 1.27, 95% CI 1.09-1.548 elderly: AOR 1.33, 95% CI 1.22-1.45). Variations in incidence, clinical profile and 1-year mortality of patients with AF in a nationwide cohort were influenced by sex and ethnicity. Newly diagnosed AF portends a worse prognosis and is a marker of high mortality within the first year.

The Linguistic Features of Translanguaging Interactions in Singapore: A Discourse Analysis Perspective

Translanguaging has been researched as a heated topic about multilingual discourse studies. However, there were few studies observing from the perspective of translanguaging among Chinese Singaporeans in routine conversations, which is a research gap. Accordingly, this paper aims to examine the nature and discuss the influencing factors of translanguaging among Chinese-English bilinguals in Singapore with the use of discourse analysis as a research method. Major findings were: 1) some Chinese-English bilinguals were more efficient in English than others; 2) Singapore's localized and multilingual use of English have resulted in Colloquial Singapore English or Singlish; 3) influencing factors of translanguaging shown in the clips include students’ inadequate training for learning English as a second language, teachers’ time constraints, and teachers’ limited resources to incorporate support strategies for students, which were restricted by schools. Nonetheless, the contribution of this study is to explore the nature of translanguaging of Chinese-English Bilinguals, especially in the Singapore context, which will provide further implications for Singaporean English discourse studies.

Off-Center Articulations

Abstract Recent studies on Singapore Chinese literature have employed analytical lenses such as the Sinophone and postloyalism, which are exogenous to the historical and everyday experiences in the region that produced the texts. This article proposes using the lens of the Chinese-educated to bridge local self-understandings with extralocal modes of interpretation, in order to better illuminate place-specific writing practices. As a salient category of both lived experience and analysis by local researchers, the category of the Chinese-educated occasions a form of “off-center articulation” that maintains strategic distance from Sinophone studies while also enriching the field's conceptual repertoire. Specifically, this analytical perspective highlights how literary representations of social class play a significant role, alongside language and ethnicity, in registering the historical diversity of the Singapore Chinese community. Through examining Singaporean Chinese writer Chia Joo Ming's novel Exile or Pursuit (2015), this article reinterprets the novel's gallery of characters and depictions of interpersonal relations to elicit fading memories of socioeconomic divides and gaps in cultural attainment among ethnic Chinese Singaporeans and their migrant predecessors. It ends by charting future directions for Southeast Asian Chinese literary studies that collectively track a broader locus of “Chinese-educated” literary and cultural practices, and that promote critical inter-referencing within the region.

A descriptive qualitative study exploring the postpartum confinement experiences among first-time mothers from the three major ethnic groups in Singapore

ObjectiveModern Singaporean mothers still embrace traditional confinement practices after childbirth, which often marks a significant milestone in maternal experiences. However, limited studies have explored in-depth the collective confinement experiences of mothers in Singapore. This study hence aimed to explore the postpartum confinement experiences of first-time mothers from the three major ethnic groups in Singapore, namely Chinese, Malay, and Indian. DesignA descriptive qualitative study was conducted. Purposive sampling was adopted to recruit participants. Individual semi-structured face-to-face/telephone interviews were used to collect data, which were analysed using thematic analysis. Setting and participantsSixteen first-time mothers were recruited from two obstetric clinics in a tertiary hospital in Singapore. FindingsFive themes emerged: “Specific diets adopted and avoided for different purposes”, “Complexity of various traditional confinement practices (TCPs) adopted”, “Reasons for adopting TCPs”, “Reasons for modifying TCPs”, and “Postpartum challenges”. Key conclusionsOur study provided unique insights about Singapore's Chinese, Malay and Indian first-time mothers’ postpartum confinement experiences. While confinement practices were still observed, many mothers no longer subscribed to guidelines followed by previous generations and were modifying or forgoing practices they deemed impractical. Mothers faced challenges adapting to new motherhood and often felt restrained or stressed by confinement practices. Implications for practiceHealthcare professionals should take the lead to educate mothers and their families on harmful traditional confinement practices and their misconceptions. Future studies could explore alternative methods of postpartum check-up to improve first-time mothers’ confinement experiences, and focus specifically on lower-income families to explore their unique confinement experiences.