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 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. In 2009, computer-assisted telephone interviewing was undertaken between November and December. 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.
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 risktaking 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, the prevalence of depression and anxiety, 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 disparities 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.
Summary of findings
Fruit intake
More than half (52.0 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 (8.1 per cent) in 2009 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 long-term risk of harm did not vary significantly over the period 2003–2009. In 2009, approximately 4.7 per cent of males and 3.5 per cent of females reported drinking alcohol at risky or high risk level for long-term harm.
Smoking
Less than one in five adults aged 18 years or over (18.6 per cent) were current smokers in 2009, 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 63.4 per cent in 2009. This figure has not changed significantly since 2005.
Self-reported health
The proportion of persons reporting their health as excellent, very good or good was 80.7 per cent in 2009. This figure did not change significantly over the period 2005–2009.
Body weight
Measures of height and weight were collected for the first time in 2002 to calculate body mass index. Whilst the prevalence of overweight in males and females remained constant between 2003 and 2009, the prevalence of obesity in both males and females increased over this period.
Asthma
The proportion of males and all persons, but not females, who had experienced symptoms of current asthma (experienced asthma symptoms in the previous 12 months) remained unchanged between 2003 and 2009. By contrast, the proportion of females who had experienced symptoms of asthma in the previous 12 months significantly declined between 2003 and 2009.
Diabetes
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 4.8 per cent for all Victorians in 2009. The proportion of males and females who were ever diagnosed by a doctor with type 2 diabetes significantly increased between 2003 and 2009.
Psychological distress
The proportion of persons with very high levels of psychological stress, as determined using the Kessler 10 measure of psychological distress, was reported by 3.8 per cent of persons and remained steady at 2–4 per cent over the period 2003–2009.
Health checks and screening
In 2009, more than three quarters (79.1 per cent) of all persons surveyed reported having had their blood pressure checked, more than half (57.0 per cent) reported having had a blood cholesterol test and more than half (51.7 per cent) reported having had a blood glucose test, in the past two years.
More than a third (35.2 per cent) of all persons aged 50 years and over reported having had a test to detect bowel cancer in the past two years.
Connections with others
In 2009, almost a third of all persons aged 18 years and over (33.3 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.
Almost three out of four persons (75.1 per cent) felt multiculturalism made life in their area better, 83.2 per cent felt valued by society and 73.8 per cent felt they had an opportunity to have a say on issues that were important to them.
Social disparities in health
There was a significant increase in the proportion of females and all persons, but not males, who ran out of food at least once in the previous 12 months and could not afford to buy more between 2005 and 2009.
The proportion of persons who reported being unable to raise $2,000 in an emergency did not significantly change between 2003 and 2009.