Current report - Victorian population health survey 2007

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Summary

Background
The Victorian Population Health Survey is an important component of the population health surveillance capacity of the Department of Human Services. The annual survey series is an ongoing source of high quality information on the health of Victorians. Information in the report is presented on health and lifestyle, including physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, intake of fruit and vegetables, selected health screening, adult obesity, asthma and diabetes prevalence, psychological distress and social networks.

Purpose
The aim of this report is to provide high quality, timely indicators of population health that are intended to have direct application to evidence-based policy development and strategic planning across the department and the wider community. The Victorian Population Health Survey is based on a core set of question modules that are critical to informing decisions about public health priorities. It fills a significant void in the accessible data that are required to ensure public health programs are relevant and responsive to current and emerging health issues.

Methods
Computer-assisted telephone interviewing was undertaken between August and December. A representative statewide sample of adults aged 18 years or over was randomly selected from households in each of the eight departmental health regions. Approximately 7500 interviews were completed during the fieldwork period. The department determined the content of the survey after reviewing the determinants of chronic disease states that are most likely to have an impact on Victorians.

Refer to Appendix A for a more detailed description of methods.

Key results
This report on the survey presents information that is compared to selected data items since inception of the survey in 2001. Future survey reports will continue to present time series information, along with changes over time in the health of Victorians and the determinants of that health, such as obesity patterns among adult Victorians. In the section on health and lifestyle, the report contains information on the prevalence of major risk-taking behaviours across the Victorian population—for example, the prevalence of smoking, nutrition, alcohol consumption and levels of physical activity. These data will be vital for targeting public health interventions and evaluating outcomes.

Questions on asthma and diabetes provide indicators for the selected national health priority areas, 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 they describe aspects of clinical management and prevention that are amenable to public health interventions. A particular interest is the information in the report of the extent and diversity of social networks in the Victorian population.

Contents

Foreword

1. Summary


2. Health and lifestyle


3. Self-reported health and selected health conditions


4. Obesity among adults


5. Asthma


6. Diabetes


7. Psychological distress


8. Social support, community participation and attitudes


9. Chronic disease


10. Social inequalities in health

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Victorian population health survey 2007: Selected findings (4,132kb, pdf)

• Victorian population health survey 2007: Selected findings - Part A: Preliminaries (172kb, pdf)
• Victorian population health survey 2007: Selected findings - Part B: Health and lifestyle (1,050kb, pdf)
• Victorian population health survey 2007: Selected findings - Part C: Self-reported health, Obesity, Asthma, Diabetes, Psychological distress, Social support (1,005kb, pdf)
• Victorian population health survey 2007: Selected findings - Part D: Chronic disease (1,568kb, pdf)
• Victorian population health survey 2007: Selected findings - Part E: Social inequalities in health (459kb, pdf)
• Victorian population health survey 2007: Selected findings - Part F: Appenices (313kb, pdf)

Previous years' reports

Regional fact sheets

The fact sheets present the major findings from the Victorian Population Health Survey. Information is presented on health status, obesity, nutrition, physical activity, health checks, eye protection and alcohol consumption.

• Barwon-South Western Region Fact Sheets 2007(323kb, pdf)

• Eastern Metropolitan Region Fact Sheets 2007 (323kb, pdf)

• Gippsland Region Fact Sheets 2007 (327kb, pdf)

• Grampians Region Fact Sheets 2007 (326kb, pdf)

• Hume Region Fact Sheets 2007 (323kb, pdf)

• Loddon Mallee Region Fact Sheets 2007 (325kb, pdf)

• North and West Metropolitan Region Fact Sheets 2007 (326kb, pdf)

• Southern Metropolitan Region Fact Sheets 2007 (320kb, pdf)

Previous Fact Sheets

2006 Regional Fact Sheets

2006 Regional Cardiovascular Disease Fact Sheet

2003 Regional Fact Sheets

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