About seven out of 10 adults in Dubbo are overweight or obese because they exercise very little or not at all.
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They are doing slightly better than neighbouring communities where inactivity is also taking a huge toll on the waistlines and health of residents.
A new report, Australia’s Health Tracker by Area, confirms residents of affluent metropolitan suburbs are more active and healthier than “poorer” communities and regional/rural communities. It highlights the “more than three-quarters” of adults in Western NSW, Western Victoria and mid-West Tasmania who attest to “no or low” physical activity. The report has led to a call for infrastructure and initiatives such as “active workplaces, schools and towns” to boost physical activity and reduce the risk of disease.
Australia’s Health Tracker by Area reveals 70 per cent of people over the age of 18 in Dubbo undertook “no or low” exercise within the week of the National Health Survey.
Dubbo was second on a list of 13 local government areas that had Bathurst on top with 69.3 per cent, representing the community with the least number of adults living an inactive lifestyle. Weddin was on the bottom with 78.4 per cent.
The report also found 72.4 per cent of people over the age of 18 in Dubbo were overweight or obese, placing it well down the list of the 13 local government areas. Cowra was on top with 69 per cent of adults overweight and obese and Forbes on the bottom with 77 per cent.
Australia’s Health Tracker By Area is developed by the Australian Health Policy Collaboration (AHPC) at Victoria University with the Public Health Information and Development Unit at Torrens University. AHPC director Rosemary Calder is on the front foot following the release of the report. “Parks, walking tracks, community sports and active workplaces, schools and towns are what we need to help get more Australians reaping the benefits of physical activity,” she said. “Increasing your activity decreases your risks of heart attack, mental illness and cancer.”
Public health and chronic disease experts want at least a 10 per cent reduction in physical inactivity in Australia by the year 2025. The “Tracker” reports are set to be issued regularly to record “progress towards this target for a healthier Australia”. The annual cost to Australia of physical inactivity is reported to be $600 million.
