Health Reports, August 2021

Released: 2021-08-18

The August 2021 issue of Health Reports contains three articles.

Cancer incidence and mortality by ethnicity

In Canada, there is little detailed information about population health outcomes and health status by ethnic group, including cancer, which is expected to be the leading cause of death in the 21st century. A new study released today in Health Reports is the first Canadian study to report ethnic variability in cancer incidence and mortality. Disaggregating cancer rates in the Canadian population is essential to understand the differences within the diverse Canadian population and to inform prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

The authors of "Do cancer incidence and mortality rates differ among ethnicities in Canada?" used a census-linked population dataset of more than 5 million respondents to determine cancer cases and mortality from 2006 to 2016 for the following ethnic categories: non-Indigenous North American (NINA); European; Caribbean; Latin, Central and South American (LCSA); African; East Asian; South Asian; and West Central Asian and Middle Eastern.

The study found that Canadians of European origin had the highest standardized incidence rates, while NINA had the highest mortality rates. The distribution of cancers within the top 10 cancers and the top 10 cancer deaths varied substantially (for example, stomach cancer was found to be more prevalent in the East Asian, LCSA, African and Caribbean groups). Non-immigrant African males had the highest cancer incidence rate, and non-immigrant South Asian females had the highest cancer mortality rates.

These differences likely reflect cultural differences in the top contributors to cancer—smoking and obesity—and differences in the use of screening tests and in other preventive and treatment interventions.

The dietary impact of eating away from home

Since March 2020, with the introduction of stay-at-home orders and other measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, many Canadians have reported eating food prepared away from home less often. Food prepared away from home tends to be less healthy than food prepared at home.

Little is known about patterns of Canadians' consumption of away-from-home foods before the pandemic. A new study, "Eating away from home in Canada: impact on dietary intake," used 2015 national-level nutrition data—the most recent data available—to characterize patterns of away-from-home food consumption and selected markers of dietary intake.

The study found that in 2015, Canadians patronized restaurants regularly, with about one in five reporting having consumed some food in a restaurant on the previous day. On the day that Canadians ate out in a restaurant, their dietary intake was generally less favourable than that of Canadians who did not eat out.

If Canadians continue to eat at home more and to consume less away-from-home food, as early pandemic–period reports suggest, then results of this study can be used to gauge the potential dietary implications of these shifts. They can also serve as a valuable benchmark to estimate any post-pandemic changes in Canadians' dietary habits.

Use of handheld laser devices and associated injury

The study "Prevalence of handheld laser device use, exposure and associated injury" assessed the use of and exposure to handheld laser devices by Canadians and the potential associated health risks. Based on data from the 2019 Canadian Community Health Survey, an estimated 12.4% (3.9 million) of Canadians reported using a handheld laser device or being exposed to its beam in the previous year, with those between the ages of 12 and 17 representing 30.5% of users. Overall, less than 1% of Canadians who use handheld laser devices reported discomfort or injury to their eyes or skin in the past 12 months.

Products

The articles "Do cancer incidence and mortality rates differ among ethnicities in Canada?," "Eating away from home in Canada: Impact on dietary intake" and "Prevalence of handheld laser device use, exposure and associated injury" are now available in the August 2021 online issue of Health Reports, Vol. 32, no. 8 (Catalogue number82-003-X).

Contact information

To enquire about "Do cancer incidence and mortality rates differ among ethnicities in Canada?," contact Evelyne Bougie (evelyne.bougie@canada.ca), Health Analysis Division.

To enquire about "Eating away from home in Canada: Impact on dietary intake," contact Didier Garriguet (didier.garriguet@canada.ca), Health Analysis Division.

To enquire about "Prevalence of handheld laser device use, exposure and associated injury," contact media relations at Health Canada (613-957-2983).

For more information, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).