Greater
Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM and the ABC’s Dr Norman Swan have launched
the findings of the 2024 Geelong Preventative Health Survey today.
Every three to four years, the City commissions this
important anonymous survey to help us understand the health and wellbeing needs
of the Geelong community.
The data measures trends for key indicators such as
healthy eating, physical activity, mental health, smoking, alcohol consumption,
personal safety and the health impacts of climate change.
The
findings provide a strong evidence base for the City and other organisations to
make informed decisions about infrastructure, initiatives, programs and advocacy for a healthier Greater Geelong
community.
Key findings include:
- 78 per cent report high
satisfaction with their lives
- 49 per cent of our community
report good, fair or poor health
- residents are fairly active
with 65 per cent meeting physical activity guidelines
- 20 per cent are classified
as sedentary
- 25 per cent are lonely
(slightly higher than the Victorian average of 23 per cent), with much higher levels for people with disability (61 per cent) and young people (60
per cent)
- fewer residents (13 per cent)
are experiencing high to very high psychological distress following an
increase during COVID (20 per cent in 2021)
- 20 per cent of people are
worried about having enough money to buy food, while 8 per cent have run
out of food and couldn’t afford more
- almost one in five are at
risk of lifetime harm from alcohol
- take away consumption habits
appear to be returning to pre-COVID levels, with 16 per cent eating it
more than weekly, down from 20 per cent in 2021
- 18 per cent of community
members do not feel safe in their area
Mayor Kontelj
The data helps Council and the
City to dig deeper and understand the health inequities across the
municipality.
The
survey provides us with robust, statistically representative health and
wellbeing data for the local population, uncovering both opportunities and
challenges for our community.
The
small area data highlights health inequities and disparities between suburbs,
supporting place-based approaches to improving health and wellbeing.
We
thank Dr Swan and representatives from local organisations who offered a wealth of insights into
the data at today’s launch.
Councillor Elise
Wilkinson
The 2024 Geelong Preventative
Health Survey is the City’s third edition.
By
continuing our investment into understanding community needs, we are now
starting to see trends that have developed since 2017.
Some
indicators for health and wellbeing have improved, others have declined and
there are some new ones to note.
We
have valuable and up to date insights into how older adults, people with a
disability, LGBTQIA+ communities and people who speak a language other than
English are faring and how they can be supported.
The
research was carried out via phone, email and paper from August - September
2024, capturing the anonymous insights of 2,282 people.
The researcher
collection statement is
also available to view.