Health

Description: The Public Use Microdata File (PUMF) for the Mental Health and Access to Care Survey (MHACS) provides information about the mental health status of Canadians, as well as their access to and need for services and supports, whether formal or informal. This product includes many safeguards to prevent the identification of any one person or household.

The 2022 MHACS is a repeat of the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey on Mental Health (CCHS-Mental Health). In contrast to the 2002 and 2012 iterations of the CCHS-Mental Health, which were administered in-person, the 2022 MHACS was administered by computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Description: Extreme heat has significant impacts on mortality. In Canada, past research has analyzed the degree to which non-accidental mortality increases during single extreme heat events; however, few studies have considered multiple causes of death and the impacts of extreme heat events on mortality over longer time periods. This study analyzes the impacts of extreme heat events on nonaccidental, cardiovascular, and respiratory deaths from 2000 to 2020 in 12 of the largest cities in Canada.

Description: Optimal oral health is an essential element of healthy aging. Oral health problems such as tooth loss, periodontal disease, and dry mouth accumulate throughout adult life and worsen with increasing age. Using data from the 2019/2020 Canadian Health Survey on Seniors, this study explores the link between dental insurance, income, and oral health care access among seniors (aged 65 and over) in Canada. It contributes to the understanding of oral health care among seniors before the implementation of the Canadian Dental Care Plan.

Description: Components of natural increase, quarterly: births and deaths.

Description: The public use microdata file (PUMF) from the Canadian Health Survey on Seniors (CHSS) provides data at the provincial level. Over the two-year period, data were collected from approximately 42,000 respondents aged 65 or older, residing in households in all provinces.

The file includes information on a wide range of topics, including oral health, care receiving, community service use, access to health care services, vaccines, smoking, alcohol consumption, general health, chronic health conditions and provides information on the socio-demographic characteristics of the population.

Note: The Canadian Health Survey on Seniors (CHSS) is a supplement to the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) - Annual component.

Description: The public use microdata file (PUMF) from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) provides data for health regions and combinations of health regions across Canada. Over the two year period, data are based on interviews with approximately 130,000 respondents aged 12 or older, residing in households in all provinces and territories.

The files include information on a wide range of topics, including: physical activity, height and weight, smoking, exposure to second hand smoke, alcohol consumption, general health, chronic health conditions, injuries, and use of health care services. It also provides information on the socio-demographic, income and labour force characteristics of the population.

Description: This article examines trends in rates of employment and unemployment, as well as hourly wages and work hours, for the year 2023, and explores how disability intersects with age, sex, educational attainment, and racialized groups to influence labour market outcomes.

Description: The Health Research Working Paper Series publishes: analytical work-in-progress; background documentation for specific research projects (e.g methodological papers); lengthy reports intended for specific clients, and; compendiums of data tables. Publication in this series does not preclude publication of specific aspects of the work in a peer-reviewed journal.

Description: The purpose of this document is to define the concept of peer groups, to give an overview of how they are created and to demonstrate their usefulness. This paper presents the 2023 classification of the peer groups.

Description: This publication presents key highlights and results from the General Social Survey on the topics of caregiving and care receiving; social identity; giving, volunteering and participating; victimization; time use; and family.

Description:

The 2001 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) is a post-censal survey of adults and children whose everyday activities are limited because of a condition or health problem. A sample of those persons who answered 'Yes' to the 2001 Census disability filter questions were included in the PALS survey population. Approximately 35, 000 adults (aged 15 and over) and 8,000 children (aged 0 to 14) living in private or collective households in the 10 provinces were selected to participate in the survey. Persons living in institutions, on Indian reserves, and in the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut were excluded from the survey. The data were collected after the 2001 Census, in the fall of 2001.

These tables contain data on the educational attainment, labour force activity and income of adults with and without disabilities.

Description:

Cycle 16 of the 2002 General Social Survey (GSS) was on 'Aging and Social Support.' Data were collected over an 11-month period from February to December 2002 with a sample of approximately 25,000 respondents representing the non-institutionalized population in the 10 provinces.

These tables contain data on the prevalence of care received by seniors because of long-term health problems, the prevalence of informal care given to seniors because of long-term health problems and consequences of providing care to seniors. All tables are available by sex and age groups, and for Canada and the provinces.

Note: For a detailed analysis, please see the document 'The Consequences of Caring for an Aging Society' (Catalogue no. 89-582-XIE).

Description:

The 2001 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) is a post-censal survey of adults and children whose everyday activities are limited because of a condition or health problem. A sample of those persons who answered " Yes" to the 2001 Census disability filter questions were included in the PALS survey population. Approximately 8,000 children (aged 0 to 14) living in households in the 10 provinces were selected to participate in the children's component of the survey. Persons living in institutions, on Indian reserves and in the Yukon, Northwest Territories or Nunavut were excluded. The data were collected after the 2001 Census, between September 2001 and January 2002. Note that information on children with disabilities was gathered through interviews with their parents or guardians.

These tables contain PALS data on children aged 5 to 14 who have disabilities and the impact of their disability on the daily activities and employment situation of their families.Specific themes covered are:-help with everyday activities received by children with disabilities;-parents access to help; formal and informal-impacts of the child's disability on the family's employment situation;-children's access to specialized aids and services; and household income.

Tables are presented by severity of disability of children with disabilities, for Canada and provinces.

Description:

The Cancer Survival Statistics tables provide site-specific five-year observed and relative survival estimates for cases diagnosed from 1992 onwards (colorectal, lung, prostate and female breast cancer cases only). In addition to age-specific and age-standardized national (excl. Quebec) estimates, all ages (15 to 99 years) and age-standardized provincial estimates are available.

Description:

The 2001 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) is a post-censal survey of adults and children who are limited because of a physical condition or health problem. A sample of those persons who answered "Yes" to the 2001 Census disability filter questions were included in the PALS survey population. Approximately 35,000 adults and 8,000 children living in private or collective households in the 10 provinces were selected to participate in the survey. The data were collected in the fall of 2001.

These tables contain data on the use of and need for supports for adults with disabilities, by sex and age groups, for Canada and the provinces.

Note: For a detailed analysis, please see the document A Profile of Disability in Canada, 2001 (Catalogue no. 89-577-XIE).

Description:

Optional content to the Canadian Community Health Survey was negotiated by some provinces or territories and for some health regions. The data from that content provide information on the following variables: self esteem, mastery, alcohol dependence, sedentary activities, changes made to improve health, decision latitude at work, home care utilization, social support, influenza immunization, bicycle-helmet use, condom use, tobacco alternatives, smoking cessation aids, physical check-up, eye examination, dental visits, breast examinations and breast self-examinations, blood pressure check, suicidal thoughts and attempts, distress, moods, and spirituality.

Related tables to the Canadian Community Health Survey provide information on the following variables: unmet health-care needs, prostate-specific antigen and former smokers.

Description:

The 2001 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) is a post-censal survey of adults and children whose everyday activities are limited because of a condition or health problem. A sample of those persons who answered 'Yes' to the 2001 Census disability filter questions were included in the PALS survey population. Approximately 35,000 adults and 8,000 children living in private and some collective households in the 10 provinces were selected to participate in the survey. The data were collected after the 2001 Census, in the fall of 2001.

These tables contain data on the number of adults and children with disabilities, disability rates, as well as the type and severity of disability, by age and sex, for Canada and the provinces.

Description: Body mass index (BMI), Canadian standard, by age group and sex, household population aged 20 to 64 excluding pregnant women, territories.

Description: Body mass index (BMI), International standard, by age group and sex, household population aged 20 to 64 excluding pregnant women, territories.

Description:

The National Population Health Survey (NPHS) used the Labour Force Survey sampling frame to draw the initial sample of approximately 20,000 households starting in 1994 and for the sample top-up this third cycle. The survey is conducted every two years. The sample collection is distributed over four quarterly periods followed by a follow-up period and the whole process takes a year. In each household, some limited health information is collected from all household members and one person in each household is randomly selected for a more in-depth interview.

The survey is designed to collect information on the health of the Canadian population and related socio-demographic information. The first cycle of data collection began in 1994, and continues every second year thereafter. The survey is designed to produce both cross-sectional and longitudinal estimates. The questionnaires includes content related to health status, use of health services, determinants of health, a health index, chronic conditions and activity restrictions. The use of health services is probed through visits to health care providers, both traditional and non-traditional, and the use of drugs and other mediciations. Health determinants include smoking, alcohol use and physical activity. A special focus content for this cycle includes family medical history with questions about certain chronic conditions among immediate family members and when they were acquired. As well, a section on self care has also been included this cycle. The socio-demographic information includes age, sex, education, ethnicity, household income and labour force status.

Description:

This aritcle analyzes abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery rates by sex for inpatients of Canadian hospitals. Possible reasons for the observed gender differences in surgery rates are discussed.

Description: This article examines the characteristics associated with getting or not getting a mammogram, focusing on women aged 50-59.

Description: This article updates recently published information on Canadian breast cancer mortality, highlighting a lower rate in 1995, a marked decline in the rate since 1990, and possible factors contributing to this trend.

Description:

Using Canadian mortality data from 1974 to 1995, this article examines seasonal and daily patterns of death by cause.

Description:

Context : Lung cancer has been the leading cause of cancer deaths in Canadian males for many years, and since 1994, this has been the case for Canadian femalesas well. It is therefore important to evaluate the resources required for its diagnosis and treatment. This article presents an estimate of the direct medical costsassociated with the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer calculated through the use of a micro-simulation model. For disease incidence, 1992 was chosen as thereference year, whereas costs are evaluated according to the rates that prevailed in 1993.Methods : A model for lung cancer has been incorporated into the Population Health Model (POHEM). The parameters of the model were drawn in part fromStatistics Canada's Canadian Cancer Registry (CCR), which provides information on the incidence and histological classification of lung cancer cases in Canada.The distribution of cancer stage at diagnosis was estimated by using information from two provincial cancer registries. A team of oncologists derived "typical" treatment approaches reflective of current practice, and the associated direct costs were calculated for these approaches. Once this information and the appropriatesurvival curves were incorporated into the POHEM model, overall costs of treatment were estimated by means of a Monte Carlo simulation.Results: It is estimated that overall, the direct medical costs of lung cancer diagnosis and treatment were just over $528 million. The cost per year of life gained as aresult of treatment of the disease was approximately $19,450. For the first time in Canada, it was possible to estimate the five year costs following diagnosis, bystage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. It was possible to estimate the cost per year of additional life gained for three alternative treatments of non small-cell lungcancer (NSCLC). Sensitivity analyses showed that these costs varied between $1,870 and $6,860 per year of additional life gained, which compares favourablywith the costs that the treatment of other diseases may involve.Conclusions: Contrary to widespread perceptions, it appears that the treatment of lung cancer is effective from an economic standpoint. In addition, the use of amicro-simulation model such as POHEM not only makes it possible to incorporate information from various sources in a coherent manner but also offers thepossibility of estimating the effect of alternative medical procedures from the standpoint of financial pressures on the health care system.

Description:

In 1994, an estimated 6% of Canadians aged 18 and over - 1.1 million adults - experienced a Major Depressive Episode (MDE). Although depression is amenable to treatment, fewer than half (43%) the people who met the criteria of having experienced an MDE in the past year (approximately 487,000) reported talking to a health professional about their emotional or mental health. Furthermore, only 26% of those who had an MDE reported four or more such consultations. As expected, depression that was not chronic was more likely to be untreated. In addition, MDE sufferers whose physical health was good and those who had not recently experienced a negative life event were less likely to be treated. However, after controlling for these factors, a multivariate model suggests that lower educational attainment and inadequate income acted as barriers to treatment. Relatively few contacts with a general practitioner substantially reduced the odds of being treated. Also, men and married people who were depressed were less likely to receive treatment. With data from Statistics Canada's 1994-95 National Population Health Survey (NPHS), this article examines the characteristics of people who met the criteria for having had an MDE, but who discontinued or did not receive treatment. The selection of explanatory variables was informed by an established theoretical framework of individual determinants of health service utilization, proposed by Andersen and Newman. Logistic regression was used to predict the probability of not being treated among people who experienced an MDE.

Description:

Meeting the need for physician care outside of urban centres has long been a health policy concern. The challenges of providing such services in these areas stem from relatively fewer physicians and greater travel distances. In 1993, nearly all (99%) residents of large urban centres (with one million or more people) were less than 5 km from the nearest doctor. But outside of urban centres, only 56% of residents were situated that close to a physician. As well, proximity to physicians varied with income in less urbanized and rural areas, but not in more urbanized areas. And while Canadians in the southernmost parts of the country enjoyed very short distances to a physician, in northern latitudes, physicians tended to be much farther away. For instance, in 1993, at 65-69o north latitude, with 3,974 people for every physician, nearly two-thirds of the population (64%) was 100 km or more from the nearest doctor. By contrast, below 45o north latitude, which includes Halifax, Toronto and all of southwestern Ontario, the population to physician ratio was 476, and 91% of the population was within 5 km of a physician. Using the Canadian Medical Association's 1993 address registry of physicians, this article analyses the distance to the nearest physician (57,291 physicians) from a representative point within each of Canada's 45,995 census Enumeration Areas. Distance to the nearest physician by their specialty is also considered.

Description:

The period between fiscal years 1986/87 and 1994/95 has seen a reduction in the number of hospitals in Canada and fundamental changes in the way they deliver their services. During this time, the number of public hospitals fell by 14%, and the number of approved beds in these hospitals declined by 11%. As a result, the number of staffed beds per 1,000 population dropped from 6.6 to 4.1. Much of the decrease in approved beds in public hospitals can be attributed to the reduction in the hospital extended care sector. In fact, some hospitals with long-term care units have been re-designated residential care facilities. As well, a common trend emerged in all categories of public hospitals: the number of outpatient visits increased, while inpatient-days decreased. Between 1986/87 and 1991/92, public hospitals' average annual increase in operating expenses (in current dollars) was 8%. However, from 1991/92 to 1994/95, public hospitals posted negative average annual growth in their expenditures (-2.4%), which reflects efforts made by various provinces to control hospital costs. This article presents data from reports compiled by Statistics Canada: Annual Return of Health Care Facilities - Hospitals, 1986/87 to 1993/94 and Preliminary Annual Report of Hospitals, 1994/95.

Description:

In 1997, there will be an estimated 130,800 new cases of cancer and 60,700 deaths from the disease, an increase of one third and one quarter, respectively, over 1987. These increases are due mainly to the growth and aging of the population. (All figures exclude non-melanoma skin cancer.) In 1997, three types of cancer will account for at least half of all new cases in men and women: prostate, lung and colorectal cancer for men; breast, lung and colorectal cancer for women. Lung cancer will be the leading cause of cancer death in 1997, resulting in one-third of cancer deaths for men and almost one-quarter of cancer deaths for women. Among women, overall trends in age-standardized rates of cancer incidence and mortality have remained relatively stable since 1985, as large increases in the rate of lung cancer have been offset by declining or stable rates for most other forms. Among men, the overall incidence rate is rising slightly as a result of the sharp increase in the incidence of prostate cancer. The mortality rate for men peaked in 1988 and has since declined, because of decreases in the rates for lung, colorectal and some other cancers. This article presents information on trends since the mid-1980s in cancer incidence and mortality, adapted from Canadian Cancer Statistics 1987.

Description:

The prevalence of dementia increases sharply in old age and is higher among women than men. Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, affects a greater proportion of women. On average, the number of years lived with dementia is longer for women, and women with dementia are more likely to be living in institutions than men with the condition. This article examines age-standardized rates of dementia among men and women aged 65 and over. The data are from the 1991 Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CSHA), a joint effort of the Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine at the University of Ottawa and the federal government's Laboratory Centre for Disease Control. Life expectancy estimates from Statistics Canada were combined with CSHA data to estimate the average proportions of life that are lived with and without dementia, in the community and in institutions.

Description: This is an administrative survey that collects demographic information annually from all provincial and territorial vital statistics registries on all stillbirths (fetal deaths) in Canada. 2017 birth and stillbirth data for Yukon are not available. Due to improvements in methodology and timeliness, the duration of data collection has been shortened compared to previous years. As a result, there may have been fewer births and stillbirths captured by the time of the release. The 2017 data are therefore considered preliminary.

Description: This survey was designed to collect information on the health of the Canadian population and related socio-demographic information.

Description: The purpose of the Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) is to provide information about Canadians whose everyday activities may be limited because of a condition or health-related problem. This information will be used to plan and evaluate services, programs and policies for Canadians with disabilities to help enable their full participation in society. The survey is sponsored by Employment and Social Development Canada.

Description: This was a post-censal disability survey used to identify the numbers and distribution of disabled persons in Canada residing in health related non-penal institutions and the barriers experienced by them.

Description: The data collected are used to examine trends in the smoking behaviour of the Canadian population 15 years of age and over. The primary focus of the analysis of the data is on three specific groups: non-smokers, regular cigarette smokers and occasional cigarette smokers.

Description: The objectives of the HPS were to update and expand the national and provincial baseline data on the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, intentions and behaviours of adult Canadians on a wide range of health promotion issues.

Description: The survey's main objectives were to collect etiological, attitudinal, cognitive and behavioural information regarding drinking and driving; to collect information that is representative and useful at both the provincial and national levels; and to collect baseline data which can be used to assess trends and changes in variables over time.

Description: The purpose of this survey was to collect data on the negative consequences associated with drug and alcohol use.

Description: The two primary objectives of the General Social Survey (GSS) are: to gather data on social trends in order to monitor changes in the living conditions and well being of Canadians over time; and to provide information on specific social policy issues of current or emerging interest. The core content on health covered short and long term disability, well-being, height and weight, health problems, smoking alcohol use, physical activity, sleep and use of health care services.

Description: The main objective of the Youth Smoking Survey (YSS) is to provide current information on the smoking behaviour of students in grades 5 to 9 (in Quebec primary school grades 5 and 6 and secondary school grades 1 to 3), and to measure changes that occurred since the last time the survey was conducted. Additionally, the survey collects basic data on alcohol and drug use by students in grades 7 to 9 (in Quebec secondary 1 to 3). Results of the Youth Smoking Survey will help with the evaluation of anti-smoking and anti-drug use programs, as well as with the development of new programs.