A new online tool paints a troubling picture of the health issues in Melbourne’s inner-west.
Australia’s Health Tracker by Area, developed by Victoria University in conjunction with the Public Health Information and Development Unit at Torrens University, was launched last week, and provides localised data on chronic diseases and their risk factors.
The tracker provides details of obesity, high blood pressure, cancer screening, early deaths by chronic disease and suicide rates.
VU professor Maximilian de Courten said the data shows wealthier post codes are healthier post codes.
“There is a social gradient when it comes to Australia’s biggest killers,” he said.
The health tracker shows Altona North has the inner-west’s highest rate of obesity at 30 per cent, and greatest rate of overweight or obese people, at 65 per cent.
Altona North also has the highest rate of early deaths from cancer at 164 per 100,000, and cardiovascular disease at 103 per 100,000.
Footscray, West Footscray and Braybrook have the highest rate of early deaths from respiratory diseases at 27 per 100,000, and highest blood pressure at 36 per cent.
Braybrook’s diabetes rate is the west’s highest at 6 per 100, and early death by diabetes rate the highest at 16 per 100,000
Laverton has the highest rate of smoking at 24 per cent, almost double the 12.8 per cent national average.
Newport and Williamstown people more than 15 years old are most likely to be drinking at ‘risky’ levels, at 19 per cent.
Altona has the highest number of deaths by suicide at 15 per 100,000.
