(Nov 13) ALMOST nine in 10 Singaporean adolescents eat at Western fast-food restaurants and among them, more than three-quarters do so once a week, a survey has revealed.

The youth base their food choices on three main factors: taste, appeal and convenience.

The survey of 265 students aged between 12 and 19 was done last month by a group of master's students at the National Institute of Education (NIE).

Professor Chin Ming-kai, a visiting professor at NIE's physical education and sports science department, said a 'fast-food epidemic' has taken hold, and young people are not getting enough information on how unhealthy and unbalanced these trans fat-laden fast foods were.

'They go for taste, appeal and convenience, but they're missing out on important information - what they are actually eating and whether it's good for them.'

He added that this is a serious problem but not one peculiar to Singapore, as the fast-food phenomenon has swept across Asia.

Prof Chin was a keynote speaker at the Educating For Health conference which opened yesterday and is attended by 500 teachers and principals from countries such as Australia, Brunei and Thailand.

The conference, held at Orchid Country Club, aims to be a one-stop platform for educators to obtain resources, seek expertise and share practical health-promotion efforts.

The guest of honour, Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Education), noted that Singapore schools do a good job helping students fight obesity.

Nine per cent of children here are overweight, and 3 to 5 per cent, obese.

A Body Mass Index - a measure of body fat based on one's height and weight - of between 25 and 30 classifies one as overweight and above 30 as obese. Mr Masagos said the biggest problem in schools lies not in lack of exercise during school hours, but what children do after school.

He called on schools to work with the community and parents to address the issue.

The parents of Unity Primary School's pupils, for example, organise Sunday soccer sessions for children and parents, with the school's field and equipment.

Calling for the obesity problem to be tackled from early in life, Mr Masagos said once unhealthy lifestyles become ingrained in people, it will 'hit their wallet and lifestyle when they grow older and get sick too young'.