The results of an Active Living Census are out, offering some good and bad news on the health habits of Central Victorians.
Over eight thousand people in the Macedon Ranges, Central Goldfields, Mount Alexander, Loddon and Campaspe Shires, and the City of Greater Bendigo provided their input as part of the study, which was conducted last year between May 26th and July 6th.
Greater Bendigo’s Director of Healthy Communities and Environments, Jess Howard says there are some “really encouraging” signs in the responses.
“A lot of people are trying to be active, and many people told us that they do find it reasonably easy to be active where they live,” Ms Howard told our newsroom.
“Walking, sport, recreation and using local parks and public spaces are really important to people, and one of the really strong messages is how much people value their local spaces.
“They’re using them for exercise, social connection, family time, fun and mental wellbeing, so the positive is that people want to be active and connected, and the opportunity there is to make that easier for more people.”
Additionally, fewer respondents reported to be smoking or vaping, which according to Ms Howard suggests efforts to reduce those health vices in the region are working.
But, she added there were also “real challenges” identified in the data.
“Food is a really big one – too many people are finding it hard to afford or access healthy food, and vegetable intake is still really low…
“We’re seeing that challenge that people are having of putting enough food on the table – that’s a really growing issue across the community.”
Pressures were also identified around mental wellbeing, screentime and people not being as active as they want to be, due to cost, time or safety concerns.
“So it’s not as easy as just saying ‘Eat better’ or ‘Exercise more’; we have to look at what’s happening around people,” Ms Howard said.
“Can they afford healthy food? Can they get to safe walking tracks, parks and facilities? Are there affordable local programs to help people to get active and keep active?
“This is where the Census is really useful – it shows us where the barriers are, not just the behaviour that needs to change.”
Now that the Census has been made public, the plan is for councils like Greater Bendigo to work with health services, sporting clubs, community groups and other likeminded agencies to turn its findings into “practical action”.
“So that might mean how we plan the parks for paths and recreation spaces; it might be supporting local food initiatives, community programs, walking groups, sport and rec opportunities, or maybe doing some targeted work in communities where people are facing extra barriers,” Ms Howard said.
The full findings of the Active Living Census can be read on the Healthy Loddon Campaspe website.
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