Newly analysed Australian census data shows that residents of the City of Yarra are suffering from more mental health conditions than the Greater Melbourne average, and in Yarra the percentage of people with asthma is notably higher.
While the Greater Melbourne average for reported mental health conditions was 8.1 per cent, in Yarra the figure was 11.8 per cent, with Abbotsford recording 12.4 per cent, while in East Melbourne the percentage was 9.4.
Yarra's asthma rate of 9.3 per cent compared to a Greater Melbourne average of 7.9 per cent, with the figure for Abbotsford 9.6 per cent and for Cremorne and Burnley 9.5.
East Melbourne had a larger percentage of people with cancer or in remission from it (3.9 per cent compared to Greater Melbourne's 2.5 per cent) and a larger percentage of residents with other long-term health conditions (8.6 compared to 7.8 per cent).
Both Yarra and East Melbourne recorded lower rates of diabetes (2.3 per cent in East Melbourne and 2.6 per cent in Yarra) than the Greater Melbourne average of to 4.5 per cent.
The 2021 census is the first to have collected information on diagnosed long-term health conditions.
It recorded that 31.7 per cent of Australians reported a long-term health condition, with the most common being mental health issues, arthritis and asthma.
