The healthiest place to live in Australia revealed

While we are all aware of the importance of nutrition and exercise in maintaining good health, it turns out that where we live can play a significant role in our overall well-being too.

A new study from Monash University has shed light on the importance of location when it comes to living our healthiest lives. The research introduced new measures to identify the healthiest places to live in Australia.

The research team found Tasmania and Hobart were the healthiest state/territory and capital city to live in based on a range of environmental and socioeconomic factors, while the Northern Territory and Darwin were rated the unhealthiest.

Published in Environment International, the study that introduced the Environmental Quality Health Index (EQHI) offers a deeper understanding of how factors such as air quality, green spaces, climate and socioeconomic conditions relate to mortality risks.

Interestingly, the study found that coastal areas in the south, east and southwest of Australia generally scored higher than inland and northwest regions. These higher scores, ranging from 0 to 100, indicate better environmental and health conditions.

Senior author and Monash University Distinguished Professor of Global Environmental Health in the SPHPM, Yuming Guo, explained that locations with lower environmental risks and better overall conditions that reduced mortality risk, such as Hobart and Tasmania, tended to receive the highest scores.

“Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, had the highest overall EQHI,” Professor Guo said.

“The differences were significant, with Hobart showing exceptionally good results (highest scores), while Darwin had the lowest scores, reflecting poorer environmental and socioeconomic conditions.

“Similarly, Melbourne’s higher score compared to Sydney reflects a combination of better air quality, favourable climate and other environmental conditions, and higher socioeconomic advantages, which are linked to lower health risks.”

Professor Guo also noted that from 2016 to 2019, the number of areas with the highest EQHI scores decreased by six per cent, though over 70 per cent of Australians still live in high-scoring areas.

“When accounting for population distribution, this study found that scores improved in Perth and Darwin, decreased in Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane, and remained stable in Melbourne and Adelaide over 2016-2019,” Professor Guo added.

Professor Guo said the study highlighted the importance of targeted efforts to improve environmental conditions in regions with lower EQHIs to reduce health risks and promote well-being.

Where we live can also impact our cognitive health with recent research suggesting that those chasing the bright lights of city living could be at an increased risk of developing dementia.

Research conducted by the University of Southern Queensland revealed that urban residents face a 1.12 times higher likelihood of developing the cognitive disorder compared to their rural counterparts.

The Changes in the prevalence of dementia in Australia and its association with geographic remoteness study was conducted by PhD student Rezwanul Haque and is the first to establish a link between geographical location and dementia risk.

The research uncovered a rise in dementia rates across the general population, climbing from 0.84 percent to 0.89 percent between 2015 and 2018.

In major cities, the prevalence reached 5,590 cases per 100,000 individuals in 2018, marking an 11 percent uptick from 2015. In contrast, there was a notable 21 percent decrease in dementia cases among those residing in outer regional and remote areas during the same period.

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.