Chronic diseases are long-lasting conditions with ongoing effects, which can impact people’s quality of life. They are increasingly common, with many individuals experiencing two or more chronic diseases simultaneously (referred to as multimorbidity).
In Australia, women experience chronic health conditions and outcomes differently than men. Women are more likely than men to be living with multiple chronic diseases and lose more healthy years of life from living with an illness or injury rather than from dying prematurely from disease or injury. In 2022, the most common long-term health conditions reported by females in Australia were anxiety, back problems, depression, asthma, arthritis and osteoarthritis.
These infographics highlight conditions more common among women and girls in the Loddon Mallee, such as osteoporosis and dementia, and snapshots of the individual, economic, social and structural factors which interact to influence the development and management of chronic conditions.
The Dahlgren-Whitehead Rainbow Model to the right depicts these interrelated social determinants of health, the conditions in which people are born, grow, age, work and live, organised into five hierarchical levels.
Chronic conditions follow a social gradient: they tend to be more common among those living in the lowest socioeconomic areas than those residing in the highest socioeconomic areas. For instance, in the 2022 Victorian Population Health Survey, the proportion of women aged 18+ with self-reported high blood pressure increased with lower total annual household income and education level. Women with high blood pressure were also more likely to have experienced food insecurity in the previous year and be financially stressed. Rurality is also a determinant of chronic diseases, with the prevalence of chronic conditions generally higher among those living outside of major cities.
Chronic disease in Mildura.
Chronic disease in Swan Hill.
Chronic disease in Buloke Shire.
Chronic disease in Gannawarra.
Chronic disease in Loddon Shire.
Chronic disease in Campaspe Shire.
Chronic disease in Greater Bendigo.
Chronic disease in Mount Alexander.
Chronic disease in Central Goldfields.
Chronic disease in Macedon Ranges.
In the Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit (PHU) region in 2022, multimorbidity was more common among women. In the Victorian Population Health Survey 2022, 33.5% of women 18 years of age or older surveyed reported that they had ever been diagnosed with one chronic disease, 42.4% with two or more chronic diseases and 24.1% had not received a chronic disease diagnosis. In contrast, 44.6% of men reported no chronic disease diagnosis, 27% reported one chronic disease diagnosis and 28.4% reported being diagnosed with two, or more, chronic diseases.
The rate of homelessness assistance refers to the number of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness assisted by specialist homelessness services in each LGA, per 10,000 persons, by sex in the 2023-2024 financial year. This does not capture all people experiencing homelessness, such as those staying with friends or family or sleeping rough.
In nine of the ten Loddon Mallee LGAs, the rate among females was higher than that among males. Mount Alexander was the exception. Between 2016-2021, the rate of females experiencing homelessness in Australia increased and females accounted for 81.7% of an overall increase in people experiencing homelessness.
Family and domestic violence, housing crisis, financial difficulties, inadequate or inappropriate dwelling conditions and housing affordability stress are common reasons Victorian women sought assistance.
Individuals experiencing homelessness face increased rates of chronic illness and challenges in managing their health conditions. This can in turn exacerbate poor health and the development of further chronic health issues and impede their ability to secure and maintain stable housing.
Food insecurity exists when the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or the ability to acquire acceptable food in socially acceptable ways is limited or uncertain. It exists along a continuum.
Data on the prevalence of severe food insecurity (in the past 12-months) was sourced from the 2022 Victorian Population Health Survey. It was measured by asking participants “In the last 12-months, were there any times that you ran out of food, and couldn’t afford to buy more?”. Those answering ‘yes’ to this question were classified as having experienced severe food insecurity.
13% of women aged 18+ (95% CI: 8.0-20.5) and 7% of men aged 18+ (95% CI: 3.4-13.9) indicated that they experienced food insecurity in the previous 12-months. Please note, the point estimate for men in the Loddon Mallee PHU had a Relative Standard Error (RSE) between 25%-50%. This is a measure of sampling error, with an RSE of 25% or more generally not considered reliable. Therefore, this estimate should be used with caution.
Dementia is a broad term for a range of progressive conditions affecting the brain, generally impacting mood, memory, cognition, personality, mobility and behaviour. Women account for nearly two-thirds of Australians living with dementia, and for women, it stands as the leading cause of death.
Though the risk of dementia increases with age, it’s not a normal part of ageing. Physical activity, social engagement and higher education levels are protective against its development.
In all ten Loddon Mallee LGAs in 2021, the female rate of dementia was greater than the male rate.
Osteoporosis is a largely preventable skeletal disorder, characterised by a decrease in bone mineral density. This makes bones more fragile and prone to fracture.
Declining oestrogen during the menopausal transition, in addition to age-related declines in bone density, contributes to a greater risk of osteoporosis among women relative to men. However, osteoporosis can be prevented by engaging in regular weight-bearing and resistance exercise, getting enough calcium and vitamin D, limiting alcohol intake, and avoiding smoking.
In 2022, osteoporosis was more common among women than men in the Loddon Mallee PHU region. Nearly 1 in 10 women aged 18+ (9.3%, 95% CI: 7.1-12.1) self-reported an osteoporosis diagnosis (age-standardised to 2011 Victorian population).
Often called a ‘silent disease’, osteoporosis has no obvious symptoms and many people don’t know they have it. As a result, self-reported diagnoses by women may be an underestimate of the true prevalence.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint condition involving the breakdown of cartilage overlying the ends of bones. It’s the most common form of arthritis in Australia.
It’s more common among women, residents of inner and outer regional areas, and those living in the lowest socioeconomic areas.
In 2022, osteoarthritis was more common among women than men in the Loddon Mallee PHU region. Nearly 1 in 4 (23%, 95% CI: 18.7-27.9) women aged 18+ self-reported an osteoarthritis diagnosis (age-standardised to 2011 Victorian population). This was significantly higher than the proportion observed among all women in Victoria.
95% CI = 95% Confidence Interval. This shows the range of values likely to contain the true population value, with a 95% probability.
The Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit (PHU) catchment covers nine out of ten Local Government Areas (LGAs) in our region – Buloke, Campaspe, Gannawarra, Greater Bendigo, Loddon, Macedon Ranges, Mildura, Mount Alexander and Swan Hill.
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