VicHealth undertook a survey to understand the impact on Victorians of the first coronavirus related restrictions that took place in March–May 2020, now known as the first lockdown. A series of questions were asked covering a range of health and lifestyle areas to establish whether the lockdown had changed people’s healthy lifestyles compared to life in February 2020, and to understand factors that may have influenced these changes. Variation by socio-demographics and recent experiences, such as job loss and the 2020 summer bushfires, were also examined.

The results will enable a more detailed understanding of the response required by VicHealth and its stakeholders to support the health and wellbeing of Victorians during coronavirus restrictions and beyond.