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.
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 .
