Vancouver has the lowest adult obesity rate in the country, says a new report released on Tuesday by Statistics Canada.

The survey shows Vancouver had an obesity rate of 12 per cent in 2004, about half the national average of 23 per cent.

It was also lower than Toronto's rate of 16 per cent.

The report says adults who live in big Canadian cities are less likely to be obese than those who live in smaller centres. Statistics Canada's figures show 20 per cent of city dwellers are obese, compared with 29 per cent in outlying areas.

The figures relate to adults, and the city-town differences were not reflected in children whose average obesity rate is 26 per cent higher than the average for adults.

More social pressure in cities, says fitness trainer

Cat Smiley, who runs the military-style fitness Boot Camp in Whistler, says a recent survey of her clients, or "recruits" as she calls them, confirms the Statistics Canada report.

She says people from the smaller community of Whistler were heavier on average than people from Vancouver.

"I think there is a lot more pressure to be thin in the big cities or in the cities than there is in the small towns," she said.

Smiley, twice named Canada's top fitness trainer, says the answer to obesity is not found in crash diets, but in
lots of physical activity and eating fruits and vegetables.

"A good body is a body that moves freely without pain," said Smiley. "[Try not to] see exercise as a separate activity, but more of a way of life."