Health and Wellbeing Profile for the Geraldton Health District: Geraldton Health District profile – 2012
Health and Wellbeing Profile for the Geraldton Health District: Geraldton Health District profile – 2012 Report
- Author(s): Goldfields-Midwest Medicare Local Region
- Published: 2012
Abstract: In 2010, the population of the Geraldton Health District was 38,508 people (1.7% of the state’s population). The age-structure differs from that of the WA population by having a larger percentage of children and young people aged 0 to 19 years, and a lower proportion of adults aged 20 to 44 years. By 2020, the size of the population of the Geraldton Health District is expected to increase by 7.6%, to 41,438 people. In 2009, Aboriginal people accounted for 9.2% of the population of the Geraldton Health District, which was greater than the state average (3.3%). There was a significantly higher proportion of obese women in the Geraldton Health District (34%) compared to the state (26%). Obesity in the total population was also significantly higher in the Geraldton Health District (32%) compared to WA (26%). When self-reported doctor-diagnosed health conditions were examined, a significantly higher proportion of males in the Geraldton Health District had arthritis (22%) compared with WA (17%). Hospital usage was significantly higher in the Geraldton Health District compared with the state - a third of females in the Geraldton Health District had been to hospital in the last year, compared with a quarter of women in WA. Hospital usage in the total population was also significantly higher in the Geraldton Health District (32%) compared to WA (27%).