Spore singled out by International Obesity Task Force

MR NEVILLE Rigby, the International Obesity Task Force's director of policy, singled out Singapore as one country that is fighting obesity in children.

In fact, he said, the Ministry of Education's Trim and Fit scheme and other Singapore government programmes are the only ones in the world that seem to be working.

'We need to watch Singapore. The government there was perceptive and started tackling the problem of childhood obesity long before people were talking about it,' he said.

'They are stemming the increase in obesity in children. It is quite an achievement. 'Unless children are educated to eat a healthy diet and take up physical activity, the number of children with the condition will increase.'

A study has shown that the Trim and Fit scheme, launched in 1992, has reduced obesity prevalence from 14 per cent to 9.8 per cent by 2002, he said.

It helps students from primary to pre-university levels to develop healthy eating and exercise habits.

Obesity is defined as a weight more than 120 per cent of the ideal weight.

Mr Rigby said that a cultural change is affecting countries which once had traditional vegetable and fruit diets.

'It is a kind of adaptation of Western culture where it becomes normal to be like an American, but in terms of fast food, this can also mean looking like one in terms of body shape,' he warned.

Fast food means just that, he said - buying some quick energy to eat on the go.

He said it is far better to sit down in a food court and eat what you like, like Singaporeans do.

Cynthia Low
The Straits Times Interactive, 20 June 2005