mmg.com.au

Young people in the Loddon Mallee have the highest rate of teenage births and glue-sniffing in the state.

The latest ‘State of Victoria’s Children’ report, released by the Victorian Government in the past month, shows how young people across the regions fare across a number of areas of including health and education.

It provides a breakdown of the data collected for 2011 and indicates young people living in rural and regional Victoria are exposed to higher rates of sexually transmitted infections and higher rates of alcohol consumption.

The report showed the highest percentage of 15 to 17-year-olds drinking in the last 30 days was in the Loddon Mallee (62.8 per cent).

The region also had the second highest rate of binge drinking, with 23.4 per cent.

About 60 per cent of the region’s young people also reported it was ‘easy’ or ‘very easy’ to obtain alcohol.

The Loddon Mallee also has the highest teenage birth rate, and has held that title for the past six years.

In terms of sexual health, while the Loddon Mallee’s STI infection rates were not the state’s highest, rates were ‘‘notably high’’.

According to the report, STI rates in general were higher for young people in rural Victoria than in metropolitan areas, and the difference has become more pronounced over time. The highest and fastest growing rates were for chlamydia.

Meanwhile, the proportion of young people who report ever having used marijuana or other illegal drugs in the Loddon Mallee was 10.8 per cent.

The highest percentage of young people reporting sniffing glue or chroming is in Loddon Mallee (10.5 per cent).