The region compares poorly with Melbourne in having pap smears, mammograms and blood sugar and cholesterol tests.

The 2011/12 Victoria Population Health Survey shows only 48.5 per cent of local respondents had a cholesterol test in the past two years, compared with 58.3 per cent in Melbourne.

And only 51.2 per cent had a blood sugar check, compared with 55.5 per cent.

Nearly 30 per cent have not had a pap smear in the past two years, which is also the same figure for mammograms.

Ballarat also fares worse than Melbourne in rates of arthritis (21.9 per cent Ballarat, 19 per cent Melbourne), stroke (4.6 per cent, 3.3 per cent), heart disease (8.1 per cent, 6.8 per cent), high blood pressure (26.6 per cent, 23.8 per cent), obesity (18.8 per cent, 16 per cent), smoking (15.6 per cent, 15.2 per cent) and lack of dental visits in the past five years (14.4 per cent, 9.4 per cent).

But we are better in type 2 diabetes (3.9 per cent, 4.9 per cent), asthma (10.7 per cent, 10.9 per cent), osteoporosis (4.4 per cent, 5.1 per cent), cancer (4.6 per cent, 5.4 per cent), depression/anxiety (15.6 per

cent, 19.5 per cent) and doctor visits six months or more ago (19.7 per cent, 21.5 per cent).