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More than four million Canadians don't have a family doctor, according to the health survey by Statscan. However, only 1.7 million of those said they couldn't find a family doctor after looking for one. People who said they were in good health, particularly men and women aged 20 to 34, were less likely to have looked for a family doctor.

Despite the absence of a regular family doctor, nearly 80 per cent, or about 3.3 million, of those surveyed said they still had access to health care. About 64 per cent went to a walk-in or appointment clinic, while 12 per cent went to hospital emergency rooms. Another 10 per cent went to community health centres, and 14 per cent reported going to other facilities, such as hospital outpatient clinics, telephone health lines or doctors' offices.

Nearly 25 per cent of Canadians without a family doctor living in rural areas went to a hospital emergency room for treatment, compared with 8 per cent of those in urban areas.

Women were more likely than men to have a family physician. Nearly 20 per cent of men aged 12 and older reported they had no regular doctor, compared with 10 per cent of women. Men were also twice as likely as women to report that they had not looked for a family doctor.

About 6 per cent of Canadians with chronic conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure and arthritis, said they didn't have a family doctor.

Those living in low-income households were less likely to have looked for a family doctor or to have a family doctor than more affluent Canadians. Immigrants and aboriginals were also less likely than the rest of the population to have a family doctor.

Canada's doctor shortage must be addressed because it affects the entire health-care system, since people who need medical care often clog emergency rooms or clinics, said Ruth Wilson, president of the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

“That's an expensive way to provide care ...” she said.

WEIGHT

The survey found that eight million Canadians, or 32 per cent of those surveyed, were considered overweight, while four million, or 16 per cent, were obese. Although the number of overweight or obese Canadians has been rapidly rising since the mid-1980s, the survey found the rates didn't change greatly from 2005 to 2007.

However, during that time, the number of obese women aged 18 to 24 increased slightly, and the number of overweight senior men decreased. Middle-aged Canadians between 45 and 64 were most likely to report being overweight or obese, while those aged 18 to 24 were the least likely to report this. Obesity rates were highest in Atlantic Canada, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

One of the problems with a weight survey, however, is that it may be subject to bias because it relies on individuals providing an accurate assessment of themselves.

“People need to be aware that [the survey] tends to understate the extent of obesity in the country,” said Vincent Dale, assistant director of the Canadian community health survey at Statistics Canada.

Even though the number of obese and overweight Canadians has not changed substantially in the past few years, it's still a significant health issue. Officials must dedicate significant time and resources to reducing the prevalence of overweight Canadians, said Arya Sharma, chair of obesity research at the University of Alberta.

“The bottom line is that obesity is currently affecting one in five adults,” he said. “I think there are major challenges there for the health system. We should not be relaxing our efforts on prevention.”

SMOKING

After years of progress in the campaign against cigarettes, recent years have seen little headway in persuading teens to kick the habit. The Statistics Canada health report reveals that 400,000 Canadians aged 12 to 19 - or about 12 per cent of those surveyed - smoked daily or occasionally last year.

In the overall population, 22 per cent of Canadians aged 12 and older smoked regularly last year, the same rate as 2005.

Although smoking rates of men and women were similar among those younger than 20, the survey found that men were more likely than women to smoke regularly in older age groups.

Nearly 30 per cent of Canadians aged 20 to 44 were daily or occasional smokers last year, the highest rate of any age group. One-third of men in that age group smoked, compared with one-quarter of women.

Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Saskatchewan all had smoking rates that were higher than the national average.

But smoking rates in Ontario and British Columbia fell below the national average, at 21 and 18 per cent respectively.

If Canada hopes to further reduce smoking rates, there has to be much more done to eliminate the prevalence of cigarette companies and to address the increasingly problematic issue of contraband cigarettes, said Neil Collishaw, research director of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, an advocacy organization.

“I hope some of the problems we're facing now can be corrected in the future,” he said.