3.1.6 Health and Activity

Health indicators for Golden Plains have been derived from the Victorian Population Health Survey (VPHS). The VHPS provides an annual assessment of the health status and wellbeing of adults in Victoria. The health indicators for Golden Plains in the 2020 survey are shown in Figure 3–3. Obesity was significantly lower among adults who reside in Golden Plains (20.9 percent), compared with those who lived in rural Victoria (27.6 percent). However, a greater portion of people were overweight in Golden Plains (35.7 percent) compared to rural Victoria (30.9 percent). Data on activity levels in 2020 were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore the results from the 2017 survey have been used. In the 2017 survey, a higher proportion of adults in Golden Plains met the Australian Physical Activity Guidelines, 58.6 percent were sufficiently active as compared with only 50.9 percent of Victorians. However, 35.5 percent of adults were sedentary or insufficiently active and 81 percent of children and young people do not participate in at least an hour of physical activity per day.

Figure 3–3: Health indicators – Obesity levels. Source: Victorian Population Health Survey, 2020