By Oliver Lees
A community group is working to improve the health of the queer community in the Macedon Ranges.
According to the Active Living Census conducted by the Healthy Heart of Victoria, LGBTIQA+ people living in the Macedon Ranges are less likely to meet national recommendations guidelines around physical activity.
Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health (SCCH) is calling on the community to take part in a survey to better understand the health and wellbeing needs of the LGBTIQA+ community.
SCCH will then work with community members to co-design a Rainbow Active workshop based on the findings.
The census, which was carried out across six local government areas in Victoria, found that barely half of people who identified as LGBT were doing their recommended 30 minutes of moderate daily exercise.
But the census was not all doom and gloom, with 69 per cent of relevant respondents indicating their desire to become more active.
SCCH health promotion team leader Lauren Tyrrell says there are many barriers to regular sporting activities for the LGBTIQA+ community.
“We have a strong investment in the needs of our LGBTIQA+ community and we want to dig deeper and unpack what’s stopping them being physically active,” she said.
“For example, we understand many transgender and gender diverse people feel like they don’t fit in in regular sporting clubs.”
The survey will remain open until late May and can be accessed at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/rainbowactive
For further information on Rainbow Active workshops contact SCCH on: healthpromotion@scchc.org.au
