The Brimbank Atlas of Health and Education

Mapping the influences on health and education in the Brimbank community

Published: 2014

The Brimbank Atlas of Health and Education: Mapping the influences on health and education in the Brimbank community was produced by the Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU), as part of the Mitchell Institute Health and Education Indicators project, involving a research and policy partnership between:

  • The Mitchell Institute;
  • The Brimbank City Council;
  • PHIDU, The University of Adelaide;
  • The Victoria Institute for Strategic Economic Studies (VISES), Victoria Univeristy;
  • The Mitchell Institute.

Education is recognised as a crucial path to physical and mental health, which is important for both individual wellbeing and participation in society, and for lifelong learning and education. However, in Australia, there has been little investment or policy attention to the relationship between health and education and the impact on individual wellbeing and economic participation.

The development of the atlas by PHIDU provides provides the foundation data for the development of the suite of health and education indicators by VISES. In addition, the SportsSpatial team within the Institute for Sports, Exercise and Active Living has compiled a report, Physical Activity, Sport, and Health in the City of Brimbank, on the levels of engagement of Brimbank residents in organised sport and active recreation and leisure, providing a companion body of information to this atlas.

Authored by PHIDU

 

brimbank atlas cover 99x141Full document







Contents

Section 1: Context and purpose

Section 2: Understanding what determines our health and education

Section 3: Indicators of health and wellbeing, and education and child development for Brimbank

Contextual indicators at the Population Health Area level:

  • Summary measure of socioeconomic disadvantage
  • Children living in jobless families
  • Children in families with mothers with low educational attainment
  • Learning or earning at ages 15 to 24 years
  • Recent arrivals from countries in which English is not the predominant language
  • Longer term residents born in countries in which English is not the predominant language
  • People born overseas reporting poor proficiency in English
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
  • Unemployment
  • Unemployed youth
  • Female labour force participation
  • People working as managers or professionals
  • People working as labourers
  • Social housing
  • Low income households under financial stress from rent or mortgage
  • No motor vehicle
  • No Internet access at home
  • Voluntary work
  • People living with disability

Health and wellbeing, and education and child development indicators at the Population Health Area level:

  • Low birthweight babies
  • Women smoking during pregnancy
  • Ambulatory care-sensitive conditions
  • Self assessed health status reported as 'fair', or 'poor'
  • Prevalence of diabetes mellitus
  • Prevalence of circulatory system diseases
  • Psychological distress reported as 'high', or 'very high'
  • Smoking
  • Obesity
  • Participation in preschool
  • Young people aged 16 years participating in full-time secondary school education
  • Early school leavers
  • Highest level of education
  • Australian Early Development Census: children developmentally on track
  • Australian Early Development Census: children developmentally vulnerable

Summary

Appendices