New Zealand is the third fattest nation in the developed world, a report has found.
The obesity rate among adults in New Zealand in 2007 was 26.5% with only the United States at 34.3% and Mexico at 30% higher, the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Health Data Report 2009 released this month said.
Obesity rates had increased in all 30 OECD countries in recent decades, which may well lead to higher health care costs in the future, it said.
New Zealand had a much lower number of practising physicians than most other countries.
In 2007 New Zealand had 2.3 practising physicians per 1000 people, well below the OECD average of 3.1.
However, the country had a slightly above average number of nurses with 9.9 per 1000 people in 2007 compared to 9.6.
The country was also lagging behind in numbers of CT scanners.
It had increased from 3.6 per million of population in 1990 to 12.3 in 2007. However that was just over half the OECD average of 20.2 CT scanners.
New Zealand was also behind in numbers of MRI units, with 8.8 units per million people in 2007 compared to the OECD average of 11 units.
New Zealand had the fourth lowest percentage of smoking adults.
Rates had decreased from 30% in 1985 to 18.1% in 2007, lower than the OECD average of 23.3%.
Smoking numbers were lowest in Australia, United States and Sweden with rates under 17%.
Life expectancy for New Zealanders was 80.2 years in 2007, higher than the OECD average of 79 years.
It was less than life expectancy in Australia, Switzerland, Australia, Iceland and Spain which was more than 81 years in 2007.
The infant mortality rate in New Zealand was 4.8% deaths per 1000 live births in 2007, just below the OECD average of 4.9 deaths.
