The Riverina has emerged as the fattest region in NSW, with a third of residents obese and even more are not getting enough exercise, according to a Heart Foundation analysis.
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The figures, calculated on a per capita basis, found a whopping 81 per cent of residents do not achieve two-and-a-half hours worth of “vigorous” exercise per week.
The exercise is considered necessary for good health.
Wagga mayor Rod Kendall responded to the findings with surprise, attributing the result to a reliance on cars as the mode of transportation.
"If you live in a country town, you park in front of the shop you shop in. Maybe that convenience of access is something that's working against us," Councillor Kendall told Fairfax Media.
The analysis follows research in 2012 that suggested Junee was Australia’s fattest town.
It found 26 per cent of people in Junee were classified as obese, having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.
The healthy weight range, according to the BMI, is between 18 and 25.