The Victorian Population Health Survey is an important component of the population health surveillance capacity of the Department of Health. The annual survey series is an ongoing source of quality information on the health of Victorians.
The aim of the survey is to provide quality, timely indicators of population health that directly apply to evidence-based policy development and strategic planning across the department and the wider community. The survey is based on core question modules that are critical to informing decisions about public health priorities. It fills a significant void in the accessible data needed to ensure public health programs are relevant and responsive to current and emerging health issues.
Department of Health & Human Services
The Victorian Population Health Survey has been conducted each year since 2001 and previously was 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. In 2008, computer-assisted telephone interviewing was undertaken between August and December, and the sample was expanded to approximately 34,000 and taken at the local government area level. Please refer to the Methods section of the report for a more detailed description of the methods.
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.
Results from Victorian Population Health Survey 2008 are also available through an interactive web application called Victorian Health Information Surveillance System (VHISS). You can select from a range of options to produce tailored tables.
About the survey
The Victorian Population Health Survey is an important component of the population health surveillance capacity of the Department of Health. The annual survey series is an ongoing source of quality information on the health of Victorians.
The aim of the survey is to provide quality, timely indicators of population health that directly apply to evidence-based policy development and strategic planning across the department and the wider community. The survey is based on core question modules that are critical to informing decisions about public health priorities.
It fills a significant void in the accessible data needed to ensure public health programs are relevant and responsive to current and emerging health issues.
About this report
The first chapter, ‘Health and lifestyle’, contains information on the prevalence of major risk-taking behaviours across the Victorian population, including the prevalence of smoking, fruit and vegetable intake, alcohol consumption, levels of physical activity and selected health and screening checks. This information is vital for targeting public health interventions and evaluating outcomes.
The report includes a chapter on self-reporting on health and selected chronic diseases, as well as separate chapters on body weight, asthma and diabetes, which are the subject of public health programs in Victoria and nationwide. These data complement the department’s Victorian Burden of Disease Study and Victorian Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions Study, and identify aspects of prevention that are amenable to public health intervention.
The report also contains a chapter on mental health, examining levels of psychological distress, levels of psychological distress by selected health indicators, and whether a person sought help from a professional for a mental health-related problem in the preceding year.
Last are a chapter covering social inequalities in health, which identifies health differences between selected social groups in Victoria, and a chapter titled ‘Connections with others’, which presents information on levels of social support, community participation, social attitudes and social capital.
Methods
The Victorian Population Health Survey has been conducted each year since 2001, and previously was 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. In 2008, computer-assisted telephone interviewing was undertaken between August and December, and the sample was expanded to 34,168 and taken at the local government area level (LGA).
The Department of Health reviewed the survey content and gave priority to new and emerging issues, areas with high demand for information, and areas in which a public health response is likely to be effective in improving health or reducing inequalities in health.
Summary of findings
Fruit intake
Almost half (47.4 per cent) of all persons surveyed met the recommended minimum daily intake levels for fruit (three or more serves for those aged 18 years and two or more serves for those aged 19 years and over) (table 1.1).
Vegetable intake
Less than one in 10 adults (7.9 per cent) in 2008 met the recommended minimum daily intake for vegetables (four or more serves for those aged 18 years and five or more serves for those aged 19 years and over).
Alcohol intake
The proportion of males and females drinking alcohol at levels for short-term risk of harm did not vary significantly over the period 2002–2008. In 2008, approximately 13.6 per cent of males and 6.9 per cent of females reported drinking alcohol weekly at levels for short-term risk.
Smoking
Approximately one in five adults aged 18 years or over (19.1 per cent) were current smokers in 2008, down from a high of 24.1 per cent in 2001.
Physical activity
The proportion of persons undertaking adequate physical activity (measured in both sufficient time and sessions) to meet the national guidelines, was 60.3 per cent in 2008. This figure has not changed significantly since 2002.
Self-reported health
The proportion of persons reporting their health as excellent, very good or good was 81.5 per cent in 2008. This figure did not change significantly over the period 2005–2008.
Body weight
Measures of height and weight were collected for the first time in 2002 to calculate body mass index. The proportion of persons categorised as overweight or obese according to their body mass index increased from 45.1 per cent in 2002 to 48.6 per cent in 2008.
Asthma
The prevalence of current asthma (experienced asthma symptoms in the previous 12 months) among adults was 10.7 per cent in 2008, down from 12.1 per cent in 2001.
Diabetes
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 4.8 per cent for all Victorians in 2008. Although the prevalence of type 2 diabetes did not change significantly between 2005 and 2008 for females, there was an increase in prevalence for males.
Psychological distress
The proportion of persons with very high levels of psychological stress, as determined using the Kessler 10 measure of psychological distress, remained steady at 2–4 per cent over the period 2001–2008.
Health checks and screening
In 2008, more than three quarters (79.5 per cent) of all persons surveyed reported having had their blood pressure checked, more than half (56.5 per cent) reported having had a blood cholesterol test and more than half (52.2 per cent) reported having had a blood glucose test, in the past two years.
More than a quarter (29.4 per cent) of all persons aged 50 years and over reported having had a test to detect bowel cancer in the past two years.
Among the female population, aged 20–69 years, almost three quarters (71.1 per cent) reported having had a Pap smear in the past two years.
Among the female population, aged 50–69 years, more than three quarters (75.9 per cent) reported having had a mammogram in the past two years.
Connections with others
In 2008, almost one in three persons aged 18 years and over (32.4 per cent) reported having helped out a local group as a volunteer and more than half (52.9 per cent) had attended a local community event in the past six months. Most persons could get help from friends, family or neighbours when needed.
More than three out of four persons (76.2 per cent) felt multiculturalism made life in their area better, 81.5 per cent felt valued by society and 74.0 per cent felt they had an opportunity to have a say on issues that were important to them.
Social inequalities in health
The proportion of persons who ran out of food at least once in the previous 12 months and could not afford to buy more increased between 2005 (4.6 per cent) and 2008 (5.6 per cent).
The proportion of persons unable to raise $2000 within two days in an emergency decreased from 16.4 per cent in 2002 to 11.5 per cent in 2008.