When developing the Boroondara Community Plan, we examined data indicative of the health and wellbeing status of the Boroondara community. Overall, we discovered that the Boroondara community reports good health and quality of life.
However, the data does reveal areas of concern that require additional attention. In particular, the following health and wellbeing priorities emerged:
- promoting mental health and social connection
- preventing injury and violence
- reducing harmful alcohol use
- promoting healthier eating
- promoting active living
These health priorities represent the most significant preventable causes of poor health and wellbeing in Boroondara, as well as those areas where we can work with local health and community organisation partners to make changes that influence the health outcomes of the community.
These priorities are also based on the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan. Our focus on these areas will contribute to improved health and wellbeing for Victorians.
Promoting mental health and social connection
Mental wellbeing is the embodiment of social and emotional wellbeing – not merely the absence of mental illness. It is a dynamic state in which people are able to develop their potential, work productively and creatively, build positive and respectful relationships with others, and meaningfully contribute to the community.
VicHealth survey (2015) included five indicators measuring mental wellbeing:
- Resilience (range 0–8)
- Perceptions of neighbourhood – people are willing to help each other
- Perceptions of neighbourhood – a close-knit neighbourhood
- Perceptions of neighbourhood – people can be trusted
- Low gender equality in relationships score
The average resilience score among adults in Boroondara (18+ years) was 6.4 out of eight (where eight indicates high resilience), with young adults aged 18-24 years showing the lowest resilience (5.8). VicHealth points out that youth is a period of high risk for developing mental illness. For all young people to be successful into the future, resilience is an important asset required. More information about young people and resilience can be found at VicHealth.
Boroondara had lower mental wellbeing status compared to Victoria on two of the mental wellbeing indicators: 69.1% of Boroondara residents agreed that people in their neighbourhood are willing to help each other compared to 74.1% in Victoria, and just over half the Boroondara residents agreed that they live in a close-knit neighbourhood (51.7%) compared to 61.0% in Victoria. However, Boroondara residents were more likely to agree to the statement “people in this neighbourhood can be trusted” than in Victoria generally (76.6% compared to 71.9%).
The gender equality score examines attitudes to gender equality in relationships. It asks respondents about their level of agreement with the following statements: “Men should take control in relationships and be the head of the household” and “women prefer a man to be in charge of the relationship.”
Scores were derived from these two items measured on 5-point Likert scales, ranked from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’, which were then combined and converted into scores out of 100. Scores on this indicator were divided into three categories, where ‘low’ represents a score equal to or less than 70, ‘medium’ represents a score of 80 or 90 and ‘high’ represents a score of 100.
The proportion of those with a low gender equality score was used as an indicator of support for gender equality in relationships. Among the Boroondara residents interviewed, it was revealed that 30.4% had a low gender equality score. This is lower than the percentage in Victoria (35.5%), indicating that Boroondara had a better score in terms of attitude to gender equality.
Table 1: Mental wellbeing status in Boroondara 2015, % of respondents that agree for Victoria, Boroondara overall and Boroondara age-groups (Source: VicHealth Indicators)
|
Age group (years) |
Resilience score (average) |
“People around here are willing to help their neighbour” |
“This is a close-knit neighbourhood” |
“People in this neighbourhood can be trusted” |
Low gender equality score (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Victoria |
6.4 |
74.1% |
61.0% |
71.9% |
35.7% |
|
Boroondara overall |
6.4 |
69.1% |
51.7% |
76.6% |
30.4% |
|
18 - 24 years |
5.8 |
61.6% |
46.5% |
73.9% |
- |
|
25 - 34 years |
6.2 |
62.3% |
49.2% |
71.2% |
- |
|
35 - 44 years |
6.7 |
74.7% |
58.8% |
82.7% |
- |
|
45 - 54 years |
6.2 |
62.7% |
46.2% |
75.6% |
- |
|
55 - 64 years |
6.7 |
78.8% |
54.5% |
82.4% |
- |
|
65 - 74 years |
7.0 |
69.4% |
55.9% |
71.9% |
- |
Psychological distress
Psychological distress is an important risk factor of heavy drinking, smoking and drug use. It has also been directly linked to several diseases and conditions such as fatigue, migraine, cardiovascular diseases, injury, obesity, depression and anxiety.
A measure of psychological distress, the Kessler 10 Psychological Distress Scale (K10) has been included in the Victorian Population Health Survey to assess levels of psychological distress within four categories - low, moderate, high, and very high.
Most Boroondara residents reported having low levels of psychological distress (70.3%), a higher proportion than across Metropolitan Melbourne (61%) but 10.5% residents reported to have high or very high levels of psychological distress (see Table 2).
Table 2: Percentage of adult population by level of psychological distress, 2017 (Source: Victorian Population Health Survey)
|
Level of stress (K10) |
Boroondara |
Inner Eastern Melbourne |
Victoria |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mild stress |
70.3% |
58.3% |
53.9% |
|
Moderate stress |
24.5% |
23.2% |
24.7% |
|
High/Very high stress |
8.9% |
11.6% |
15.4% |
Proportion of population ever diagnosed with anxiety or depression
| Boroondara | Inner Eastern Melbourne | Victoria | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety or depression | 22.2% | 19.3% | 27.4 |
Adult population who sought professional help for a mental health problem in the previous year
| Boroondara | Inner Eastern Melbourne | Victoria | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 9.2% | 10.6% | 14.1% |
| Women | 17.7% | 15.9% | 21.2% |
| All adults | 13.7% | 13.3% | 17.6% |
Preventing injury and violence
The Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset (VEMD) collects information on emergency presentations at Victorian public hospitals.
Table 3 shows the top ten causes of injury in Boroondara in 2016-17. Of all Boroondara residents who received emergency service/care where the primary diagnosis field was injury, the leading cause of injury was reported to be fall from less than one meter height (35.% of all injuries), followed by struck by collision with person (14.2% of all injuries).
Some injuries were dominated by males. As shown in Table 4, more than three-fourths of injuries sustained by cyclists occurred among male residents. Collisions with persons and objects were also common in males.
Human intent of injury is defined as clinician's assessment identifying the most likely role of human intent in the occurrence of the injury or poisoning. As shown in Table 4, females were predominantly involved in intentional self-harm.
Table 3: Top 10 causes of injuries in Boroondara and their comparison with Eastern metropolitan region, 2016-17 (Source: Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset)
|
Injury cause |
Boroondara no. |
Boroondara % |
EMR % |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fall <1 metre or no height information |
2314 |
35.4% |
36.8% |
|
Struck by or collision with object |
926 |
14.2% |
15.0% |
|
Other specified external cause |
806 |
12.3% |
9.8% |
|
Unspecified external cause |
648 |
9.9% |
12.7% |
|
Cutting piercing object |
439 |
6.7% |
6.8% |
|
Struck by or collision with person |
370 |
5.7% |
5.6% |
|
Fall >1 metre |
177 |
2.7% |
2.4% |
|
Poisoning - medication |
149 |
2.3% |
1.4% |
|
Pedal cyclist - rider or passenger |
124 |
1.9% |
1.7% |
|
Motor vehicle - driver |
85 |
1.3% |
0.8% |
|
All others |
505 |
7.7% |
7.0% |
Table 4: Injuries with the highest percentage difference between males and females, Boroondara residents, 2016-17 (Source: Department of Health and Human Services Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset (unpublished data), 2018)
|
Injury type |
Number |
Females % |
Males % |
|
Pedal cyclist - rider or passenger |
124 |
22% |
78% |
|
Struck by or collision with person |
370 |
25% |
75% |
|
Struck by or collision with object |
926 |
35% |
65% |
|
Falls >1 metre |
177 |
41% |
59% |
|
Cutting piercing object |
439 |
42% |
58% |
|
Non-intentional harm |
5349 |
45% |
55% |
|
Intentional self-harm |
184 |
71% |
29% |
Other injuries
See Family Violence and Road safety and injury from falls
Reducing harmful alcohol use
Drugs and alcohol
Through its links to injury, accidents, violence and more than 200 physical and mental illnesses, alcohol is one of the top 10 avoidable causes of disease and death in Victoria. Regular, excessive consumption of alcohol places people at increased risk of chronic ill health and premature death, and episodes of heavy drinking may place the drinker (and others) at risk of injury or death.
Residents in Boroondara reported a higher increased lifetime risk and a higher increased single occasion risk of alcohol-related harm compared to Melbourne overall (Table 5). The City of Boroondara also had higher rates of alcohol-related hospital admissions in 2014 compared to the Eastern Metropolitan Region and Victoria overall (Table 6).
Table 5: Lifetime risk of alcohol-related harm, by risk category, 2017 ((Source: Victorian Population Health Survey)
|
Alcohol-related harm |
Boroondara |
Inner Eastern Melbourne |
Victoria |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Abstainer/ no longer drinks |
15.5% |
22.8% |
21.8% |
|
Reduced lifetime risk |
16.8% |
20.3% |
16.6% |
|
Increased lifetime risk |
66.2% |
55.2% |
59.5% |
Table 6: Selected indicators of alcohol-related harm in, rates per 10,000 people, City of Boroondara, Metropolitan Melbourne and Victoria (Source: Turning Point AODstats)
|
Summary of alcohol-related harm, rates per 10,000 persons (year) |
Boroondara |
Metropolitan Melbourne |
Victoria |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Alcohol-related hospital admissions (2018-19) |
70.9 |
39.4 |
56.5 |
|
Alcohol-related deaths (2017) |
1 |
1.2 |
1.3 |
|
Alcohol-related assaults (2017-18) |
2.5 |
2.3 |
2.4 |
|
Alcohol-related serious road injuries (2017-18) |
1.4 |
2.3 |
2.4 |
|
Alcohol-related family violence incidents (2017-18) |
5.2 |
14.4 |
17.3 |
Drug and alcohol-related ambulance attendances
Table 7 compares rates of drug and alcohol related ambulance attendances per 10,000 people for Boroondara and Metropolitan Melbourne from 2016-17 to 2018-19. In 2018-19, Boroondara had a lower ambulance attendance rate than metropolitan Melbourne for the majority of the drugs.
Alcohol (alcohol intoxication related or alcohol-only related), had the highest rate of ambulance attendance both in Boroondara and the Metropolitan region. The greatest increase in ambulance attendance rates in Boroondara between 2016-17 and 2018-19 was in alcohol-related attendances.
Table 7: Rate of drug and alcohol related ambulance attendances per 100,000 people in Boroondara 2016-17 to 2018-19, and Metropolitan Melbourne 2018-19, (Source: Turning Point AODstats)
|
Attendance type (rate per 10,000) |
2016-17 |
2017-18 |
2018-19 |
Metropolitan Melbourne 2018-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alcohol intoxication |
216.5 |
218.2 |
274.7 |
451.2 |
|
Alcohol only |
175.9 |
185.4 |
225.6 |
369.5 |
|
Any illicit drug |
80.1 |
86.8 |
103.7 |
208.3 |
|
Benzodiazepines |
49.6 |
58.5 |
50.2 |
75.6 |
|
Analgesics |
28.8 |
26.2 |
24.3 |
41.2 |
|
Antipsychotics |
22 |
20 |
17.1 |
41.2 |
|
Cannabis |
19.7 |
22.3 |
31.4 |
57.6 |
|
Amphetamines |
17.5 |
22.8 |
23.7 |
68 |
|
All heroin |
15.8 |
17.8 |
33.1 |
55.3 |
|
Other stimulant |
14.7 |
14.5 |
9.9 |
23.7 |
|
Antidepressants |
13.5 |
12.8 |
16.6 |
28.5 |
|
Crystal Methamphetamine |
13 |
11.7 |
15.4 |
47.3 |
|
Pharmacotherapy |
2.8 |
2.8 |
3.3 |
7 |
| Hallucinogens | 4.5 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 4.9 |
|
Opioids |
9.6 |
10 |
7.2 |
19.5 |
|
GHB |
7.9 |
10 |
2.8 |
12.5 |
|
Heroin Overdose |
5.6 |
6.7 |
88 |
22 |
Alcohol-related hospital admissions
Boroondara has a higher trend in the rate of people being admitted to hospital with alcohol-related causes than the Metropolitan Melbourne region and the whole state.
Figure 1 shows that the rate of alcohol-related admissions in Boroondara had been trending down since 2009-10 until 2014-15 (with a slight increase between 2011-12 and 2012-13) when the lowest rate was observed in 10 years. However it went up in the following year (2014-15) with a 20% increase and has been steadily increasing since. Rates in both the metropolitan Melbourne region and Victoria have steadily increased from 2011-12 to 2018-19.
Figure 1: Trends in alcohol-related hospital admission rates per 10,000 people (Source: Turning Point AODstats)
Table for Figure 1
| Reporting period | Boroondara | Metropolitan Melbourne | Victoria |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | 81.5 | 64.8 | 49.5 |
| 2010-11 | 59.2 | 58.4 | 45.9 |
| 2011-12 | 63.2 | 56.8 | 45.7 |
| 2012-13 | 59.5 | 59.1 | 46.9 |
| 2013-14 | 51.7 | 65 | 51.4 |
| 2014-15 | 71.7 | 69.1 | 55 |
| 2015-16 | 69.1 | 67.6 | 54.8 |
| 2016-17 | 66.3 | 71.9 | 59.8 |
| 2017-18 | 68.2 | 67 | 56.5 |
| 2018-19 | 70.9 | 66.9 | 56.5 |
Promoting healthier eating
Energy dense but nutrient-poor foods contribute more than one-third of the total daily energy intake of contemporary Australians, and only one in 10 adults meet the recommended minimum daily intake for vegetables. As a result, one in four Victorian adults are now obese.
Poor nutrition accounts for around one-sixth of the total burden of disease and costs Victoria between $1.25 and $4.15 billion every year. Daily intake of fruit and vegetables is used as a measure of the quality of a diet in Australia and internationally. Less than one in 20 people in Boroondara and Victoria eat the recommended servings of both fruit and vegetables.
Table 9 compares Boroondara’s level of compliance with the Australian fruit and vegetable guidelines against the Inner Eastern Melbourne region and Victoria. Less than 5% of Victorians, including Boroondara residents, complied with both fruit and vegetable consumption guidelines.
This is due to low compliance with the vegetable guideline, with nearly half meeting the fruit consumption guideline. 48% of Boroondara residents met fruit consumption guideline, about 4% less than the Inner Eastern Melbourne Region.
Table 8: Daily vegetables and fruit consumption, 2017 (source: Victorian Population Health Survey)
|
Daily vegetable consumption |
Boroondara |
Inner Eastern Melbourne |
Victoria |
|---|---|---|---|
|
< 1 serve of vegetables per day |
3.2% |
5.2% |
6.9% |
|
1-2 serves of vegetables per day |
59.8% |
62.6% |
60.3% |
|
3-4 serves of vegetables per day |
26.7% |
23.3% |
23.5% |
|
5+ serves of vegetables per day |
9.3% |
6.7% |
6.4% |
|
< 2 serves of fruit per day |
51.3% |
54.2% |
54.8% |
|
2+ serves of fruit per day |
47.8% |
44.2% |
43.2% |
Table 9: Compliance with the Australian fruit and vegetable guidelines, 2017 (Source: Victorian Population Health Survey)
|
Compliance with government guidelines |
Boroondara |
Inner Eastern Melbourne |
Victoria |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Met both guidelines |
4.9% |
3.5% |
3.6% |
|
Met vegetable guideline only |
8% |
5.7% |
5.4% |
|
Met fruit guideline only |
47.8% |
44.2% |
43.2% |
|
Did not meet either |
47.9% |
51% |
51.7% |
Promoting active living
Physical activity is a major modifiable risk factor for a range of conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, Type 2 diabetes, some cancers, osteoporosis, depression and anxiety, and falls among the elderly.
The most recent Victorian Population Health Survey from 2017, included questions about the time spent on a variety of physical activities (for example walking, vigorous household chores and keep-fit exercises). The survey placed people into three categories of activity: sedentary; insufficient time and sessions; and sufficient time and sessions.
In 2017, more than half of Boroondara's residents met the criteria of sufficient exercise (57.5%), a higher proportion than for Inner Eastern Melbourne and Victoria overall (Table 10). Boroondara also had a lower percentage of residents (38.5%) with insufficient time and/or session for physical activities.
Table 10: Physical activity status, City of Boroondara, Inner Eastern Melbourne and Victoria, 2017 (Source: Victorian Population Health Survey)
|
Physical activity status |
Boroondara |
Eastern Metropolitan |
Victoria |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sedentary |
-* |
2.7% |
2.5% |
|
Insufficient time |
38.5% |
45.1% |
43.2% |
|
Sufficient time |
57.5% |
50.2% |
50% |
*high relative standard error - %is unreliable and hence not reported
Insufficient time: <150 min and/or <2 sessions, per week
Sufficient time: ≥50 min and ≥ 2 sessions per week
Table 12: Physical activity status, City of Boroondara, Metropolitan Melbourne and Victoria, 2014 (Source: Department of Health and Human Services, 2018)
|
Physical activity associated with occupation |
Boroondara |
Eastern Metropolitan |
Victoria |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sitting |
70.8% |
60.0% |
49.6% |
|
Standing |
17.8% |
16.1% |
18.4% |
|
Walking |
3.4% |
13.1% |
16.0% |