A REPORT card on the health of people in South Western Sydney, including the Southern Highlands, has been delivered.
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The Health Snapshot has been delivered by the South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) and highlights the health status and lifestyle behaviours of local residents.
SWSLHD director of epidemiology Bin Jalaludin said the Health Snapshot identified physical and lifestyle health risks within south western Sydney's population which helped the district target programs to address these areas.
"Our rates of heart disease have fallen by 30 per cent and the numbers of smoke free households are on the rise, but there's still some room for improvement as nearly 60 per cent of people in our population are overweight or obese and 21 per cent still smoke," Dr Jalaludin said.
The snapshot found one out of two people in south western Sydney get adequate exercise, which Dr Jalaludin said was a timely reminder to be more physically active.
"The Health Snapshot serves as a health and lifestyle risk assessment tool that will prompt people to identify and follow up these risks through making changes in their lifestyle" he said.
With the number of smoke free households reaching 90 per cent, Dr Jalaludin said he was pleased with the result as it showed people could make positive changes if they were supported.
"The reduction in smoking rates within south western Sydney households shows that when people have support, they can and do take control of their own health and lifestyle and take positive steps to improve their wellbeing," Dr Jalaludin said.
This is the first year the Health Snapshot has been published and SWSLHD health promotion service director Mandy Williams said it could only get better from here.
She said physical activity and a healthy lifestyle were major contributors to reduce a range of illnesses and conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, some cancers and obesity.
"Just 52 per cent of the people surveyed for the current report met the recommended minimum daily intake of two serves of fruit," Ms Williams said.
There are several free programs on offer to create a healthier society, including Get Healthy telephone coaching service, Go4Fun, Quit for new life, the Healthy Children Initiative programs which focus on addressing childhood obesity, such as Live Life Well @ School and Much and Move.