By Jed Lanyon
It’s good news for Kilsyth residents as they are found to be most likely to live the longest out of all Yarra Ranges suburbs according to new life expectancy data from Torrens University.
The study revealed that where you live in Australia can influence your life expectancy.
Kilsyth residents were found to live tol the ripe old age of 86, while it’s not so great news for residents in the Belgrave area (Yarra Ranges southwest) as their life expectancy sits a whopping 12 years lower at 74.
The suburb of Kilsyth, on the fringe of the Yarra Ranges, stands alone in being four years higher than the second ranked Yarra Ranges suburbs of The Basin, Boronia and Bayswater which sit at 82 years of age.
The bulk of Yarra Ranges townships of Healesville, Yarra Glen, Lilydale, Coldstream, Wandin, Seville and Ferntree Gully residents all experience a life expectancy of 81.
The further along the Warburton Highway you travel from Lilydale, the life expectancy lowers slightly as Yarra Valley residents experience a mean age expectancy of 78 years.
Other fringe Yarra Ranges suburbs of Chirnside Park, Montrose and Mooroolbark can expect to live to 80, while Monbulk, Silvan and Mount Evelyn residents sit quite lower at an expected 76 years.
Across the state, Ashburton citizens ranked the highest with an age expectancy of 89, while Melbourne residents sat at the low age of just 59, the lowest across Australian cities and the lowest region in Victoria.
Professor John Glover, from the Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU) at Torrens University, said various factors influenced residents’ lifespan.
“Variations in the median age at death between suburbs are impacted by many factors including socioeconomic disadvantage, as influenced by unemployment, education, housing and income,” he said.
“Events like road traffic accidents among young people lower the median age, and the location of residential aged care facilities raise the median age.”
For more information visit https://www.torrens.edu.au/
