A campaign to raise awareness on how obesity can lead to diabetes will be held this year, Minister of State for Health Heng Chee How announced in Parliament yesterday.

It aims to get people to maintain a normal weight to reduce their risk of developing diabetes, which can result in blindness, heart disease, kidney failure and limb amputations.

It will be followed by an anti-obesity campaign next year.

The Health Ministry will also form an obesity taskforce to study how other countries combat the problem, and come up with 'fat-fighting' strategies for use here.

Its other plans include increasing the range of healthier foods in supermarkets and making exercise facilities more accessible.

Mr Heng was responding to MPs Lily Neo (Jalan Besar GRC), Zainudin Nordin (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) and DrLam Pin Min (Ang Mo Kio GRC), who wanted to know what was being done to tackle growing girths.

More Singaporeans are becoming obese: 6.9 per cent of adults were obese in 2004, up from 5.1 per cent in 1992. Similarly, 3.6 per cent of children were found to be obese last year, up from 2.8per cent in 1994.

Acknowledging the potential severity of the problem by comparing it to the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) that killed 33people here, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said: 'Obesity is becoming a global epidemic.

'In terms of human cost, it is worse than Sars. It will kill many more, but in a silent way.'

He noted that while the problem here is not as serious as in countries such as the United States and the European nations, food-loving Singaporeans are vulnerable.

But he added that Singapore has had success in snuffing out the smoking habit - the only preventable cause of disease and death that is worse than obesity.

Just 12.6 per cent of Singaporeans are smokers - the lowest smoking ratio among World Health Organisation member countries - down from 18 per cent in 1992.

Mr Khaw said: 'We did a good job fighting cigarettes and our smokers' rate is among the lowest in the world. We should try to beat obesity like we beat smoking.

'We must win this war against obesity. And yes, we can.'