What are the most common health conditions in your suburb?

According to the City of Launceston's 2023 State of the City report - kind of.

The report identified two data blocks for all 54 localities/suburbs within Launceston (local government area) LGA, including long-term health conditions and demographics.

Using data compiled from the 2021 Census, Australians were asked to disclose whether they had been diagnosed with 10 specific long-term health conditions.

These self-reported long-term health conditions included arthritis, asthma, cancer, dementia, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, lung condition, mental health, stroke, or any other condition that was not stated.

Demographics included data such as number of private dwellings, number of people per household, median weekly income, median weekly rent, median monthly mortgage repayments, motor vehicles per dwelling, SEIFA disadvantage score, population, percentage of male and female residents, median age, and working status.

Mental health has been at the forefront of Tasmanians' minds during COVID-19 lockdowns and beyond.

According to the census data, residents of Launceston LGA suburbs with lower SEIFA scores typically have poorer mental health.

SEIFA, also known as the Socioeconomic Indexes for Areas, is a product that summarises the relative socioeconomic characteristics of Australian communities and was created by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The lower the SEIFA score, the more disadvantaged the locality is.

The data shows that 19.5 per cent of Rocherlea residents have a long-term mental health condition, compared to 6.2 per cent of Relbia residents.

City of Launceston council data analyst Tony McDonald said there is an overlap between socioeconomic status and rates of certain long-term health conditions, such as diabetes.

"What this data is showing, generally speaking, is that Launceston, proportionately, is less healthy than Australia as a whole," Dr McDonald said.

Suburbs and localities with higher rates of disadvantage, such as Punchbowl and Rocherlea, have higher rates of diabetes.

Waverley and Ravenswood have the city's highest rate of diabetes, with 7.6 per cent of residents reporting that they have the disease, compared to a statewide average of 5.1 and the national average of 4.7 per cent.

Some of Launceston's most affluent suburbs, such as Relbia and East Launceston, have the lowest rates of diabetes.

The story of social disadvantage is also noticeable in data about asthma rates in the city.

About 15.3 and 16.9 per cent of residents at Ravenswood and Rocherlea, and about 16.6 per cent of locals in Turners Marsh to the north, have the long-term lung condition.

The state average is 9.4 per cent.

Dr McDonald said when it comes to older Tasmanians, the census health figures tell an interesting story.

Norwood, in the city's south-east, has the highest rate of dementia at 2.5 per cent - more than three times the national and state average.

Norwood also has the top rates of cancer in the LGA and also leads the city for arthritis and heart disease.

But Dr McDonald said these figures do not mean it's an unhealthy place to live.

Many senior Tasmanians live there, and the average age is 48 years, compared to the national average of 38.

"By looking at other demographics information, we can get more of an understanding about what the situation is like on the ground," Dr McDonald said.