Health Tracker reveals which Brisbane suburbs are best for your health

Individual wealth plays a role in a person’s ability to live a healthy lifestyle, but the environment they were in also made a great difference, according to the Australian Health Policy Collaboration.

LIVING in leafy inner Brisbane could be the best thing you do for your health, according to new Health Tracker findings released today.

The Health Tracker by the Australian Health Policy Collaboration found significant levels of health risk in many outer Brisbane suburbs while residents in wealthier suburbs had lower levels of obesity, smoking and led more active lives.

Suburbs where residents were the most physically active were Brisbane City, Kangaroo Point, New Farm, Ascot, Clayfield and Hamilton, while Greater Brisbane’s lowest levels of smokers were in Chapel Hill, Fig Tree Pocket, Kenmore, Brookfield and Moggill West.

St Lucia was the healthiest Brisbane suburb when it came to body size, with 44.8 per cent of residents overweight or obese – the lowest level in Brisbane. Others around that same level were Brisbane City, Kangaroo Point, Auchenflower, Toowong, Indooroopilly, Taringa, Highgate Hill, South Brisbane, West End, Fortitude Valley and Spring Hill.

Brisbane edges, Sydney, Melbourne

Is this a renovator or detonator?

RBA to stay in limbo this year

Brisbane City residents were the most physically active along with those of Kangaroo Point. This apartment as 4704/71 Eagle Street is for sale for $1.75 million. Picture: Realestate.com.au

Compare that to suburbs with the highest rates of smokers – Inala, Richlands and Wacol at 28.8 per cent, followed by Kingston, Slacks Creek, Deception Bay, Logan Central, Woodridge, Redland Islands, Beenleigh and Eagleby where one in four adults smoked; or the highest rates of sedentary lifestyles – Lockyer Valley East (78.5 per cent), Logan Central, Woodridge, New Chum, Redbank Plains, Bundamba, Riverview and Caboolture South.

New Chum and Redbank Plains also had the highest level of overweight or obese residents (76.9 per cent), followed by Browns Plains, Crestmead, Marsden, Brassall, Leichhardt, One Mile, Churchill, Yamanto, Raceview, Ripley, Bundamba, Riverview, Dakabin, Kallangur, Beenleigh, Eagleby, Springfield, Redbank North, Caboolture South, Bethania, Waterford, Loganlea and Waterford West.

The only high risk activity where those in wealthier inner Brisbane suburbs had much higher scores than those on the outer rim was in alcohol consumption. Ashgrove and Bardon had the highest incidences of alcohol consumption at levels considered to be risky to health (24 per cent), followed by Ascot, Clayfield, Hamilton, Balmoral, Bulimba, Hawthorne, Paddington, Milton and Red Hill, while the lowest level was 7.7 per cent out of Algester, Calamvale and Stretton.

AHPC director Professor Rosemary Calder told The Courier-Mail that while individual wealth played a role in a person’s ability to live a healthy lifestyle, the environment they were in also made a great difference.

“Communities that are newer outer suburbs commonly don’t have good public transport so they are much less likely to walk from home to public transport and much more likely to go in a car. In fact the rates of car ownership in new communities are very high,” she said.

St Lucia was Brisbane’s healthiest suburb when it came to weight. This home at 12 Ironside Street, St Lucia, is on the market for $1.62m. Picture: Realestate.com.au

“The ability to be active is significantly the outcome of your options for walking, which are higher if you live by the seaside or in the “leafy suburbs” which by the use of the term we know are conducive to being outdoors.”

Professor Calder said researchers found that the better resourced the community was, the better the environment and health outcomes.

“We know the wealthier leafy suburbs have been well resourced for a long time. We also know that having more disposable income gives you more choices.”

She said personal wealth was a barrier for many people, but “the rest of it is where you live and how well resourced your community is”.

“You’re more likely to see private gyms and yoga classes in wealthier suburbs. In communities where there is lower less individual wealth, there’s much more likely to be fast food outlets than gyms. We know that there are children that cannot afford to ride to school because families can’t afford a bicycle and club sport is expensive with uniforms and members.”

Chapel Hill has the lowest level of smokers in Brisbane, along with Fig Tree Pocket and Kenmore at just 7.9 per cent. This home at 5 Tinbeerwah Place, Chapel Hill, is on the market at $829,000. Picture: Realestate.com.au

She said there was diversity in all suburbs but increased wealth and levels of investment in communities could vastly improve health in the outer suburbs.

“Where there is increasing wealth, both at the individual and community level, there is likely to be increasing levels of health. Again much of that is about the environment. People don’t move in with greater income levels and just live, the whole community changes, it’s all interconnected.”

She said good health was not just about health services but required support systems that involved urban planning, public transport planning, parks and environment.

“Health is everybody’s business and these health risk factors affect our workforce, impact on productivity, and that’s important for our national economy.”

SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE:

Lowest level %:

Brisbane City Kangaroo Point 53.2

New Farm 54.7

Ascot Clayfield Hamilton 56

Paddington Milton Red Hill 56.4

Balmoral Bulimba Hawthorne 57

Ashgrove Bardon 59.1

Brisbane Inner North Central 59.6

Fortitude Valley Spring Hill 60

Chapel Hill Fig Tree Pocket Kenmore 60.4

Chelmer Graceville Corinda Sherwood 60.4

Highest level %:

Lockyer Valley East 78.5

Logan Central Woodridge 77.7

New Chum Redbank Plains 77.6

Bundamba Riverview 76.6

Caboolture South area 76.5

Browns Plains Crestmead Marsden 76.4

Esk Lake Manchester England Creek Lowood 76.3

Springfield Redbank North 76.1

Kingston Slacks Creek 76.1

Dakabin Kallangur 75.6

SMOKERS:

Lowest level %:

Chapel Hill Fig Tree Pocket Kenmore 7.9

Kenmore Brookfield Moggill West 8.1

Eight Mile Plains 8.2

St Lucia 8.4

Samford Valley 8.9

Brisbane City Kangaroo Point 9.2

Carindale 9.4

Kuraby Runcorn 9.5

Sunnybank Sunnybank Hills 9.6

Auchenflower Toowong 9.7

Highest level %:

Inala Richlands Wacol 28.8

Kingston Slacks Creek 25.8

Deception Bay 25.2

Logan Central Woodridge 24.9

Redland Islands 24.7

Beenleigh Eagleby 24.7

Caboolture 23.6

Bundamba Riverview 23.3

Rocklea Acacia Ridge 23.1

Browns Plains Crestmead Marsden 22.1

(SOURCE: Australian Health Policy Collaboration)

OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE ADULTS:

Lowest levels %:

St Lucia 44.8

Brisbane City Kangaroo Point 47.1

Auchenflower Toowong 49.7

Indooroopilly Taringa 50

Highgate Hill South Brisbane West End 50.7

Fortitude Valley Spring Hill 51.5

Chapel Hill Fig Tree Pocket Kenmore 51.8

Coopers Plains Robertson 52.6

Paddington Milton Red hill 53

New Farm 53.4

Highest levels %:

New Chum/ Redbank Plains 76.9

Browns Plains Crestmead Marsden 73.7

Brassall Leichhardt One Mile 73.4

Churchill Yamanto Raceview Ripley 73.3

Bundamba Riverview 72.7

Dakabin Kallangur 72.6

Beenleigh Eagleby 72

Springfield Redbank North 71.5

Caboolture South area 71.3

Bethania Waterford Loganlea Waterford West 71.1

(SOURCE: Australian Health Policy Collaboration)

OVERWEIGHT KIDS:

Lowest level %:

Paddington Milton Red Hill 21.8

Balmoral Bulimba Hawthorne 22.1

Ashgrove Bardon 22.1

Chelmer Graceville Corinda Sherwood 22.1

Brisbane City Kangaroo Point 22.2

The Gap Upper Kedron Ferny Grove 22.7

Camp Hill 22.8

Auchenflower Toowong 22.8

Indooroopilly Taringa 22.9

Wellington Point 22.9

Highest level %:

Logan Central Woodridge 40.6

Inala Richlands Wacol 37.2

Kingston Slacks Creek 36.8

Chermside 34.1

New Chum Redbank Plains 33.8

Springfield Redbank North 32.8

Deception Bay 32.7

Beenleigh Eagleby 32.4

Browns Plains Crestmead Marsden 32.4

(SOURCE: Australian Health Policy Collaboration)

RISKY LEVELS OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION:

Highest level %:

Ashgrove Bardon 24

Ascot Clayfield Hamilton 23.3

Balmoral Bulimba Hawthorne 22.4

Paddington Milton Red Hill 22.4

Camp Hill 21.7

Brighton Sandgate Shorncliffe 21.5

Brisbane Inner North Central 20.9

Kedron Gordon Park Wavell Heights 20.5

Manly Lota Manly West Wakerley 20.5

Lowest level %:

Algester Calamvale Stretton 7.7

Kuraby Runcorn 8

Eight Mile Plains 9.3

Inala Richlands Wacol 10

Kingston Slacks Creek 10.3

Logan Central Woodridge 10.3

Pallara Willawong Parkinson Drewvale 10.6

Darra Sumner Durack Oxley 10.7

Sunnybank Sunnybank Hills 10.7

Coopers Plains Robertson 11

(SOURCE: Australian Health Policy Collaboration)