Canadians ate fruits and vegetables fewer times last year for the first time since 2001, Statistics Canada said.
About 43 per cent of respondents aged 12 and older reported they consumed fruit and vegetables five or more times each day in 2010, down from 46 per cent in 2009, the agency reported Tuesday.
"It's the first time we've seen a dip since we've been collecting the data," said analyst Ed Rama.
The data didn't address why.
"As an aside, what we do know is that the Canadian Price Index, their price for the fruit and vegetable basket has increased two per cent from January 2010 to January 2011," said Rama.
"I can't say there's any causality there, any link, but it's an interesting fact that they seem to be moving in the opposite directions."
Women generally consumed fruits and vegetables more often than men, according to the report.
About half of women last year consumed produce five or more times a day compared with 36 per cent in men.
Young males aged 12 to 19 were an exception. Almost 48 per cent in that age group ate fruits and vegetables, while after age 20, men ate considerably less, said Rama.
"That could have an effect of basically young men still eating at home, as opposed to moving out on their own and having the [instant pasta] diet," he speculated.
The 2010 Canadian Community Health Survey also surveyed about 65,000 people across the country on more than 30 indicators, including obesity, blood pressure, stress, smoking and access to a family doctor.
Last year, the survey results suggested that the first time, more than half of the population was classified as overweight or obese based on the body mass index or BMI that uses height and weight calculations.
Since 2003, the trend towards higher weights has been rising for men and women but the trajectory is not skyrocketing, Rama said.
Self-reports of heights and weights tend to be underestimates.
For blood pressure or hypertension, Statistics Canada said 17 per cent of respondents aged 12 and over said they have been diagnosed with high blood pressure.
"For the first time since these data have been collected by the survey, men and women reported the same rate of hypertension," the report said.
"Prior to 2010, women were more likely than men to report that they had been diagnosed with high blood pressure."
In 2010, nearly one-quarter (24 per cent) of Canadians aged 15 or older reported that most days were extremely or quite stressful, up from 22 per cent in 2008.
Women were more likely to report stress, particularly in younger age groups. Overall, one-quarter of women reported that most days were quite or extremely stressful, compared with 22 per cent of males.
Daily stress rates were highest in the core working ages 35 to 54 with about 30 per cent reporting stress.
Last year, 6.0 million people, or 21 per cent of the population aged 12 or older said they smoked daily or occasionally.
Since people typically begin smoking during their teenage years, the percentage who had not started smoking by age 20 is an indicator of future smoking rates, the report said.
In 2010, 57 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 had never smoked, a considerable increase from 41 per cent in 2003. Among men in the same age group, 45 per cent had never smoked, also a considerable increase from 37 per cent in 2003.
About 4.4 million people, or 15 per cent of the population aged 12 and older, reported that they did not have a regular medical doctor in 2010.
Of the 4.4 million Canadians without a regular medical doctor last year, 82 per cent said they had a usual place to go when they needed medical care or health advice. Most of these, 62 per cent, reported using a walk-in clinic, while another 13 per cent visited a hospital emergency room.
Residents of Indian reserves, health care institutions, some remote areas and full-time members of the Canadian Forces were excluded from the survey.
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