A snapshot of Victoria’s health

1 February 2012

Health Minister David Davis has released the results of the Victorian Population Health Survey 2009, providing an annual snapshot of the state of Victoria’s health.

Mr Davis said the survey, based on a detailed survey of around 7,500 adults, showed there were areas where we could all do better.

The survey found overall Victorians do not eat enough vegetables and more are becoming obese or developing diabetes.

Findings in the survey include:

• Older people were more likely than the young to eat the recommended servings of vegetables – and women were better than men.

• Just 19.1 per cent of Victorian adults abstained from alcohol in the previous 12 months. This comprised 23.6 per cent of women and 14.2 per cent of men.

• Some 20.2 per cent of males smoked daily or occasionally, compared with 17 per cent of females.

• 63.4 per cent of males and females reported sufficient levels of physical activity to meet the national guidelines.

• The proportion of people who were members of a sports group fell from 28.2 per cent in 2003 to 24.8 per cent in 2009.

Information in the report is presented on health and lifestyle, including physical activity levels, smoking prevalence, alcohol consumption, intake of fruit and vegetables, selected health and screening checks, body weight, asthma and diabetes prevalence, psychological distress and social networks.

Mr Davis said physical activity and a healthy lifestyle is a major contributor to reducing a range of illnesses and conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers and obesity.

The Victorian Population Health Survey has been conducted each year since 2001 and is based on a sample of 7500 adults aged 18 years and over, randomly selected from households from each of the eight Department of Health regions in the state.

Further information

To find out more, visit the Victorian population health survey website.