ACT has lowest smoking rates in Australia but the nation is still fat and unfit

People in the ACT are smoking and drinking less than they used to, but are among the most overweight in the country and still eat terribly and don't exercise quite enough.

Those are among the findings of the Bureau of Statistics' national health survey, a triennial report that takes the pulse of the nation based on a sample of 20,000 people.

It shows that almost two-thirds of the Australian adult population can be classed as overweight or obese, a figure that isn't improving over time.

The ACT has the highest proportion of people who can be classed as overweight at 39.1 per cent, while NSW has the lowest proportion, with 35.2 per cent.

Children are getting heavier too and a higher proportion of kids are struggling with their weight than they were three years ago – 27.4 per cent were obese or overweight last year compared with just over a quarter in 2011.

And as we get older and heavier we are also getting sicker, with the data showing a rise in some chronic health conditions.

Obesity Policy Coalition executive manager Jane Martin said the results showed people needed to be better educated on healthy food choices.

"There's still a lot more work that needs to be done promoting the dietary guidelines," she said.

Effective policies in reducing harm from smoking or excessive drinking – such as raising prices and curtailing advertising of alcohol and tobacco – had not been applied to unhealthy food in a meaningful way, she said.

Healthy eating campaigns also had more trouble reaching disadvantaged people, who did not have the means or the time to eat well and avoid the pull of unhealthy food options, Ms Martin said

The data shows that only one out of 20 Australians eats enough fruit or vegetables, while one in three Australians get enough exercise, both matching the numbers in the capital.

In the ACT, 96.1 per cent of people were not meeting the fruit and vegetable target. and 59.2 weren't exercising enough.

That means that most people are not meeting the government's health guidelines of eating 375 grams of vegetables and 300 grams of fruit a day, or doing 2½ hours of exercise each week.

Over the past seven years the figures on obesity, exercise and diet have remained fairly static.

But smoking and risky drinking rates are dropping – 14.5 per cent of adults were daily smokers in 2014, down from 16 per cent in 2011.

The ACT had the lowest rates of smoking, at 12.4 per cent of adults, while the highest rates were in the Northern Territory, at 20.9 per cent.

Consuming more than the recommended limit of two standard drinks each day has also dropped over the past three years, falling from 19 per cent of adults to 17 per cent.

Cassandra Szoeke, director of the Healthy Ageing Project at the University of Melbourne, said the health messages around alcohol ("don't drink too much") and smoking ("don't smoke") were easier for people to understand than healthy eating or exercise advice, which often differs depending on the person.

"Poor diet, low physical activity, smoking, excess alcohol, excess weight and high blood pressure all contribute to heart disease, depression, diabetes and even arthritis," Associate Professor Szoeke said.

"The top three causes of death in Australia are heart disease, conditions that affect circulation and dementia, and a lot of research has shown that you can halve the rates of these diseases by addressing these risk factors."

Acting health minster Andrew Barr said the ACT's low smoking rates showed the government's policies were working, but added: "We can always do more, and remain committed to further reducing these rates".

The government was "not shying away" from the ACT's obesity problem, but was addressing the dramatic increase over the last 20 years with initiatives including the $3.7 million Healthy Weight Initiative.

The most recent survey was also the first to include a dedicated module on mental health, giving the issue more prominence.

It shows the spectre of mental health problems such as anxiety or depression afflicted more than one in six Australians, with women reporting significantly higher levels of psychological distress.

Women aged 15-24 had the highest incidence of anxiety at 18.9 per cent, while 15 per cent of women aged 45-54 had been confronted with depression.