But the Newspoll research, conducted last year, also suggests a community in denial about its weight problem: at least half of Canberrans are "overweight", based on their reported height and weight, but only 20 per cent say their weight is a significant problem for them.

The survey asked people if they would support restrictions on advertising and displaying unhealthy food at supermarket checkouts and in child-focused areas, limits on unhealthy food in school canteens, and action to reduce adult consumption of sugary drinks.

All the ideas received strong support, though measures aimed at children ranked higher.

"Particularly for children, but also to a considerable extent for the adult population, the community is comfortable with the ACT government going beyond simply using information-oriented strategies and looking at 'harder' measures such as regulations and restrictions to address this issue," the Newspoll report said.

"Interventions based around schools and around physical activity have particular appeal to the community."

The survey asked people for their height and weight and calculated their body mass index. Fifty per cent of people had a BMI of 25 or higher, making them overweight (54 per cent of men and 45 per cent of women), and 18 per cent per cent were obese, with a BMI of 30 or higher. Five per cent didn't provide their height and weight, with 45 per cent in the normal range.

Despite the results indicating a significant weight problem in Canberra, only 20 per cent of people said being overweight or obese was a major or critical problem for them personally. Even fewer, just 15 per cent, said it was a major or critical issue for their immediate family.

But more than three-quarters of people said weight was a critical or major issue for Canberra's adult population, and just over 60 per cent felt the same about schoolchildren.

More than half of Canberrans say they are comfortable with the government using "active regulations and controls" to reduce the incidence of overweight and obesity.

Among options put to respondents, 95 per cent or more of people supported healthier food in school canteens, increasing exercise in schools and promoting riding and walking to school. Ninety per cent supported limiting the sale of unhealthy food and drinks in canteens (with 69 per cent expressing strong support), and 88 per cent supported restricting advertising of unhealthy food.

Support dropped slightly when it came to measures that would hit adults, but was still high. Ninety-three per cent supported promoting physical activity at work, 85 per cent want to see a reduction in displays of unhealthy food near supermarket checkouts, and 76 per cent support action to reduce adult consumption of sugary drinks (although the proportion of people to "strongly support" this idea dipped below half, to 46 per cent).

Eighty-five per cent of people also said they supported incentives to reduce car use and increase public transport use.

The government has already begun a crackdown on unhealthy food for ACT school children, banning sugary drinks, vending machines and red-light foods from public school canteens.