Central Newfoundland packing on the pounds

According to a new report, the number of overweight people in central Newfoundland is on the rise.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information said 31 per cent of people living within the Central Health Region are obese, the highest in the province. The title used to belong to Labrador.

Consultant Lisa Corscadden said people in rural areas are at a disadvantage when it comes to health.

"The availability of healthy foods and activity options and that kind of thing, it's not something unique to central, it's something seen in northern Saskatchewan and northern parts of the country as well that are slightly more rural," she said.

Corscadden said an aging population only adds to the obesity rates.

The report said Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest overall self-reported obesity rate in Canada, sitting at 24.5 per cent.

British Columbia sat at the bottom of the list at 12.8 per cent.