Sixty per cent of British Columbians who rode a bike last year reported wearing a helmet. (CBC)

A new report from Statistics Canada shows British Columbians are more likely to wear a helmet while cycling than people in almost every other province.

Across the country last year, almost half the people who reported riding a bike - 46 per cent - said they never wear a helmet.

But in B.C., cyclists seem to want to protect their heads, with almost 60 per cent saying they do wear a helmet. At least part of the reason might be provincial laws requiring cyclists to put on the skidlids.

The report also shows other health trends are improving across the country with one-fifth of people over the age of 12 reporting they smoked daily or occasionally, a drop of about 5 percent from 2001.

And more strikingly the study concluded most people who do smoke, start in their teens, but the number of people who are now in their 20's who still haven't started is climbing.

On the downside, it looks like Canadians are putting on more weight. Overall obesity rates rose slightly to 19 per cent of men and 17 per cent of women, since 2003.

But a majority of Canadian are said to be pretty healthy, with 82 per cent over 12-years-of-age listed in "good" to "full functional" health.

The statistics were collected from 65,000 Canadians as part of the annual Canadian Community Health Survey by Statistics Canada and Health Canada.