paul mallett advocates strongly for the establishment of a triennial Preventative Health Survey to be conducted in the City of Launceston. paul calls for the introduction of the survey to assess and monitor the health and wellbeing of the community, with the data insights being used to inform policy and shape community programs. The survey would seek participants 15 years and older. Measuring the wellbeing of children is addressed in the post on “cradle to career” support for Launceston’s children.

Based on the City of Greater Geelong survey initiative, the Launceston Preventative Health Survey would seek to:

• Understand the community’s health status and needs.
• Identify health trends and disparities across different demographics and regions.
• Guide evidence-based planning and decision-making for health-related initiatives.

The topics covered in the survey could include:

• Physical activity and dietary habits (providing baseline and progress data on any city wide initiatives – see related proposal – to promote regular exercise)
• Mental health and psychological distress.
• Substance use, including smoking and alcohol consumption.
• Personal safety and experiences of family violence.
• Social determinants of health, such as loneliness (see related proposal) and food insecurity (see related proposal).
• Perceptions and concerns about climate change impacts on health.

paul believes the survey would:

• Support regular health monitoring: implementing a triennial health survey can help track community health trends and identify emerging issues.
• Enable comprehensive data collection: including a wide range of health indicators ensures a holistic understanding of community wellbeing.
• Support data-driven decision making: utilizing survey results to inform policies and programs can lead to more effective interventions.
• Promote public engagement: making data accessible fosters transparency and encourages community involvement in health initiatives.
• Enable collaboration with researchers: partnering with independent organizations can enhance the credibility and quality of data collection.

Inspiration

The City of Greater Geelong introduced a health survey (see link) in 2017, with the survey being repeated in 2021 and 2024. Results are published on the council’s data exchange dashboard (see link).