Health

Description:

Accurate information about the timing of access to primary mental health care is critically important in order to identify potentially modifiable factors which could facilitate timely and on-going management of care. No "gold standard" measure of mental health care utilization exists, so it useful to know how strengths, gaps, and limitations in different data sources influence study results. This study compares two population-wide measures of primary mental health care utilization data: the Canadian Community Health Survey of Mental Health and Well-being (CCHS, cycle 1.2) and provincial health insurance records in the province of British Columbia. It explores four questions: (1) Is 12-month prevalence of contacts with general practitioners for mental heath issues the same regardless of whether survey data or administrative data are used? (2) What is the level of agreement between the survey data and administrative data for having had any contact with a general practitioner for mental heath issues during the 12 month period before the survey interview? (3) Is the level of agreement constant throughout the 12-month period or does it decline over more distant sub-timeframes within the 12-month period? (4) What kinds of respondent characteristics, including mental disorders, are associated with agreement or lack of agreement? The results of this study will provide useful information about how to use and interpret each measure of health care utilization. In addition, it will contribute to survey design research, and to research which aims to improve the methods for using administrative data for mental health services research.

Description:

National Food and Nutrition Surveys provide critical information to support the understanding the complex relationship between health and diet in the population. Many of these surveys use 24 hour recall methodology which collects at a detailed level all food and beverages consumed over a day. Often it is the longer term intake of foods and nutrients that is of interest and a number of techniques are available that allow estimation of population usual intakes. These techniques require that at least one repeat 24 hour recall be collected from at least a subset of the population in order to estimate the intra individual variability of intakes. Deciding on the number of individuals required to provide a repeat is an important step in the survey design that must recognize that too few repeat individuals compromises the ability to estimate usual intakes, but large numbers of repeats are costly and pose added burden to the respondents. This paper looks at the statistical issues related to the number of repeat individuals, assessing the impact of the number of repeaters on the stability and uncertainty in the estimate of intra individual variability and provides guidance on required number of repeat responders .

Description:

Growth curves are used by health professionals to determine whether the growth of a child or a foetus, for example, is within normal limits. The growth charts currently used in Canada for height, weight and body mass index (BMI) are based on US data. Child growth curves can now be generated from the latest available data in Canada. One way of estimating and drawing growth curves is the Lambda-Mu-Sigma (LMS) method. The method has been used in various studies by the World Health Organization, the United Kingdom and the United States to generate reference growth curves for children. In this article, the LMS method is used to estimate growth curves in BMI percentiles from weighted cross-sectional data provided by cycle 2.2 of the Canadian Community Health Survey. This article is about the child BMI, one of the anthropometric measures most commonly used to assess growth and obesity.

Description:

This study describes the prevalence of chronic pain among seniors living in private households and in long-term health care institutions. Associations between an increase in chronic pain and unhappiness and negative self-perceived health are examined. Data are from the 1994/1995 through 2002/2003 National Population Health Survey and the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey.

Description:

Based on findings from the 2005 Canadian Internet Use Survey, this article examines adults' use of the Internet to access health information. The study also looks at the type of searches conducted by those who sought health information.

Description:

This article uses a geographic-based approach to estimate life expectancy in areas where at least 33% of residents were Inuit. The data are from the Canadian Mortality Database and the Census of Canada.

Description:

This article compares rates of overweight/obesity and obesity and food consumption patterns of off-reserve Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people aged 19 to 50 in Ontario and the western provinces. The data are from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey: Nutrition.

Description:

The Record Linkage Overview describes the process used in annual internal record linkage of the Canadian Cancer Registry. The steps include: preparation; pre-processing; record linkage; post-processing; analysis and resolution; resolution entry; and, resolution processing.

Description:

The compendium of Canadian Cancer Registry procedures manuals set out the rules for reporting cancer data to the CCR for all provincial and territorial cancer registries.

Description:

Worldwide, depression is the leading cause of years lived with disability. It can affect many aspects of life, including work. In fact, the impact of depression on job performance has been estimated to be greater than that of chronic conditions. In 2002, almost 4% of employed Canadians aged 25 to 64 had had an episode of depression in the previous year. These workers had high odds of reducing work activity because of a long-term health condition, having at least one mental health disability day in the past two weeks, and being absent from work in the past week. In addition, depression was associated with reduced work activity and disability days two years later.

Description: Number and percentage of persons by household food security status and economic family type, Canada and provinces.

Description: Number and percentage of persons by household food security status, age group, sex, visible minority group, Indigenous group and immigration status, Canada and provinces.

Description: Number and percentage of persons aged 16 years and over with unmet health care needs by sex (Canada and provinces) and age group (Canada only).

Description: Differences in the number and proportion of persons with and without disabilities, by age group and gender, Canada, provinces and territories.

Description: Differences in the number and proportion of persons with disabilities with either mild, moderate, severe, or very severe disabilities, by age group and gender, Canada, provinces and territories.

Description: Differences in the type of disabilities persons with disabilities have, by age group and gender, Canada, provinces and territories.

Description: Differences between persons with and without disabilities in terms of those who are employed, unemployed, or not in the labour force, by age group and gender, Canada, provinces and territories.

Description: Differences in highest level of educational attainment between persons with and without disabilities as well as how it varies by level of severity of disability, by age group and gender, Canada, provinces and territories.

Description: Differences in total income (after taxes) between persons with and without disabilities, aged 25 years and over, by severity, by age group and gender, Canada, provinces and territories.

Description: Differences in the number and proportion of persons with disabilities who are employed in full-time or part-time employment, by age group and gender, Canada.

Description:

Indicators based on the registration of vital events are used to determine the health status of populations. The need for these indicators at the regional and community levels has grown with the trend toward decentralization in the delivery of health services. Such indicators are important because they affect funding and the types of service that are provided. Health status indicators tend to be associated with variables such as the level of urbanization or socioeconomic status. According to four indicators - mortality ratios for all causes of death, mortality ratios for external causes of death, infant mortality ratios, and low birth weight live birth ratios - some areas of British Columbia, specifically along the border with Alberta, have relatively good health, although the characteristics of these regions suggest that this should not be the case. However, a much different picture emerges when vital event data registered in Alberta for residents of these areas of British Columbia are considered. This article shows that for adequate health planning and program implementation, some communities need data from neighbouring provinces. It illustrates the effect of incorporating Alberta data into the development of health status indicators for British Columbia. It also suggests that similar adjustments may be necessary for data compiled in other provinces.

Description:

The positive relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and longevity has long been established. Comparable evidence exists for SES and morbidity, but observations of this relationship tend to be limited to specific health indicators. In this article, a comprehensive quantitative measure of health status, the Health Utility Index (HUI), is applied to an analysis of the relationship between SES the health status of people aged 25 and over in Ontario. The HUI, based on a set of questions included in the 1990 Ontario Health Survey (OHS), provides a summary index of the health of each respondent. The OHS data show that lower levels of education, income, and occupation are associated with lower HUI values. Health status differences across SES groups are greater in late middle-age than at younger or older ages, a pattern consistent with the findings of other studies. The development of summary indicators like the HUI is part of a larger effort to construct measures for monitoring the health of Canadians.

Description:

This article examines sex-specific variations in death rates and causes of death at different ages in 1993, and trends in cause-specific death rates since 1950.

Description:

In 1994, Statistics Canada began data collection for the National Population Health Survey (NPHS), a household survey designed to mesure the health status of Canadians and to expand knowledge of health determinants. The survey is longitudinal, with data being collected on selected panel members every second year. This article focuses on the NPHS sample design ant its rationale. Topics include sample allocation, representativeness, and selection; modifications in Quebec and the territories; and integration of the NPHS with the National Longitudinal Survey of Children. The final section considers some methodological issues to be addresses in future waves of the survey.

Description:

Changes in Statistics Canada's annual population estimates, introduced in 1993, have an impact on a wide range of social, economic and demographic indicators. Any indicator that relies on population estimates will be affected by the new figures. This article describes the adjustment and examines its impact on health and vital statistics rates. With rare exceptions, all rates decrease as the denominators are adjusted upward. For example, accident rates, suicide rates, and age-specific fertility rates based on the adjustment population are lower than those previously calculated. The extent of the adjustment, however, depends on the geographic and demographic characteristics of the population at risk. Analysts whose work concentrates on special subgroups for whom the adjustment is particularly great (such as young adult men) may wish to pay closer attention to the new population figures. Although the new rates are lower than before, underlying trends and patterns over time or across subcategories are quite similar. The revised series incorporates estimates of net census undercoverage, and for the first time, includes non-permanent residents. In 1991, net census undercoverage and non-permanent residents together amounted to about one million persons, or 3.6% of the revised Canadian population of 28,120,100.

Description:

This article examines national and regional trends in mortality and morbidity due to abdominal aortic aneurysms from 1969 to 1991. Annual age-adjusted mortality and hospital separation rates were calculated for men and women aged 55 and older whose underlying cause of death was abdominal aortic aneurysm, or who were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurysm. In recent decades, abdominal aortic aneurysm mortality rates remained stable, in contrast to substantial declines in mortality rates for cerebrovascular disease and cardiovascular disease. The pattern was similar for both sexes, although rates were four to five times higher among men than among women. In 1991, age-adjusted rates were around 31.0 per 100,000 men aged 55 and over and 8.5 per 100,000 women aged 55 and over. Over the 1969 to 1991 period mortality rates in all regions tended to coverage. Although mortality rates were stable, hospital separation rates for abdominal aortic aneurysms increased sharply, particularly for unruptured aneurysms. Screening programs have been able to detect asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysms, and surgical intervention can substantially reduce mortality. However, the costs and benefits of screnning programs should be assessed. If current mortality rates persist, as the baby boom ages there will be an absolute increase in the number of deaths from abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Description:

In the early 1990s, Canadians were less likely to be hospitalized than they had been a decade before. And when they did enter hospital, their stays tended to be shorter. As well, hospitalization for surgical procedures was less frequent and required less time in hospital.

Nonetheless, a few patterns persisted throughout the decade. Females were more likely than males to be admitted to hospital - largely a reflection of obstetrical procedures - but females' average length of stay was slightly less than that of male patients. However, with advancing age, the likelihood of hospitalization and the duration of stays increased for both sexes.

Description:

Between 1992 and 1993, the life expectancy at birth of Canadians fell slightly, from 78.06 to 77.95 years. This decline reflected an unusually sharp upturn in the number of deaths in 1993, which was attributable, to some extent, to an influenza outbreak in early spring that year, and to substantial increases in tobaccorelated deaths among women. The overall decline in life expectancy occurred in every province except Nova Scotia, and affected both sexes, although it was more pronounced among females.

Description:

Lack of sleep is not the only cause of daytime sleepiness; many other things can induce it, including excessive warmth, boredom, or performing a demanding but uninteresting task. This study measures tiredness based on respondent assessment of drowsiness during working hours.

Description:

More than one-quarter of all time-loss claims due to work accidents are for back injuries. This article traces the pattern of growth in back-injury claims accepted by Workers' Compensation Boards during the last decade.

Description:

The User Guide to Record Linkage Feedback Reports C1 and C2 is intended for the users of the reports. The reports were developed to facilitate the exchange of information and decisions between the Canadian Cancer Registry and the Provincial and Territorial Cancer Registries.

Description:

The User Guide to Record Linkage Feedback Reports C1 and C2 is intended for the users of the reports. The reports were developed to facilitate the exchange of information and decisions between the Canadian Cancer Registry and the Provincial and Territorial Cancer Registries.

Description:

The user guide to Death Clearance Feedback Reports is intended for users of the feedback reports. The feedback reports were developed to facilitate the exchange of information and decisions between the Canadian Cancer Registry and the Provincial and Territorial Cancer Registries.

Description:

The Record Linkage Overview describes the process used in annual internal record linkage of the Canadian Cancer Registry. The steps include: preparation; pre-processing; record linkage; post-processing; analysis and resolution; resolution entry; and, resolution processing.

Description:

The Death Clearance Overview document describes the Death Clearance module of the Canadian Cancer Registry, its structure, its function and its role in the operation of the national cancer registry. Inputs and outputs are listed and briefly described, as well as the different steps constituting the Death Clearance process.

Description:

The Guidelines for Abstracting and Determining Death Certificate Only Cases are intended for use by all provincial and territorial cancer registries during their Death Clearance Process. The guidelines should be used when performing a comparison between the Death Certificate Notification and the cancer registry database.

Description:

This document examines the functional limitations, physical, emotional and social, related to the musculoskeletal conditions having the largest impact on the health of Canadians. These functional limitations are described and classified using the Classification and Measurement System of Functional Health (CLAMES).

These descriptions and classifications are the first step in a new approach to measuring the health of Canadians that examines what factors are adversely affecting population health and how to address them. This document also provides health professionals, advocacy groups, and individual Canadians with an overview of how living with certain musculoskeletal conditions affects day-to-day functioning.

Description:

This report describes the design, methodology, and results of the first study undertaken by Statistics Canada to measure the impact on Canadian cause of death trends of a new revision of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

Using 1999 Canadian mortality data, Statistics Canada carried out a comparability, or "bridge-coding", study by dual-coding deaths to both the Ninth and Tenth Revisions of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 and ICD-10). The preliminary results of this exercise were used to generate comparability ratios; these ratios measure the net effect of the new revision, with ratios above 1.00 indicating a net increase in deaths classified to a cause of death, and ratios below 1.00 indicating a net decrease.

The comparability ratios derived from dual-coding medical certificates of cause of death presented in this report estimate the size and direction of the disruption to cause of death trends due to the implementation of ICD-10. Researchers and analysts using Canadian mortality data should use these summary measures to calculate comparability-modified death counts and mortality rates to bridge the gap between ICD-9 and ICD-10.

Description:

This document examines the functional limitations-physical, emotional and social-related to the most common types of diabetes and the conditions that result from the disease. These functional limitations are described and classified using the Classification and Measurement System of Functional Health (CLAMES).

These descriptions and classifications are the first step in a new approach to measuring the health of Canadians that examines what factors are adversely affecting population health and how to address them. This document also provides health professionals, advocacy groups, and individual Canadians with an overview of how living with diabetes affects day-to-day functioning.

Description:

This document examines the functional limitations - physical, emotional and social -experienced by patients at the time of diagnosis of cancer and as they undergo various treatments, remission, and palliative and terminal care. These functional limitations are described and classified using the Classification and Measurement System of Functional Health (CLAMES).

These descriptions and classifications are the first step in a new approach to measuring the health of Canadians that examines what factors are adversely affecting population health and how to address them. This document also provides health professionals, advocacy groups, and individual Canadians with an overview of how living with cancer affects day-to-day functioning.