Selected Health Indicators in Canada

Primary care

Canadians with a primary health care provider (children and youth, parent reported)

Children and youth aged 1 to 17 with a primary health care professional (family doctor, pediatrician, nurse practitioner) or team of health professionals, who do not pay out-of-pocket as part of a private pay model.

Canadians with same day or next day access to a health care provider (children and youth, parent reported)

Children and youth aged 1 to 17 who were able to see a primary health care provider the same day or the next day when sick or concerned about their health in the last 12 months.

Canadians who were satisfied with the wait time to see a health care provider (children and youth, parent reported)

Children and youth aged 1 to 17 who were satisfied with the wait time to see a primary health care provider when sick or concerned about their health in the last 12 months.

Canadians treated with respect regarding culture and identity by a health care provider (children and youth, parent reported)

Children and youth aged 1 to 17 who received health care that was sensitive to their cultural background and identity when sick or concerned about their health in the last 12 months.

Insurance

Delayed or did not fill a prescription, or reduced or skipped doses of medication because of the cost in the past 12 months (adults)

Canadians aged 18 and over who reported modifying their medication routines due to cost in the past 12 months. This includes delaying or not filling a prescription and/or skipping or reducing doses of medication to make the prescription last longer.

Has insurance that covers all or part of the cost of prescription medications (adults)

Canadians aged 18 and over who reported having insurance that covers all or part of the cost of their prescription medications. This may be through their own plan or through someone else’s (for example, private, government, Non-Insured Health Benefits, or employer-paid plans).

Unmet needs

Had unmet health care needs in the past 12 months (adults)

Canadians aged 18 and over who reported having unmet needs for health care in the past 12 months.

Canadians with a mental health disorder who have an unmet need for mental health care (children and youth, parent reported)

Children and youth aged 2 to 17 with a diagnosed mental health disorder who either did not receive the help that they needed, or received help but not all the help that they needed for their emotions, mental health or use of alcohol or drugs.

Unmet needs for mental health care (children and youth, parent reported)

Children and youth aged 2 to 17 who either did not receive the help that they needed, or received help but not all the help that they needed for their emotions, mental health or use of alcohol or drugs.

Substance use

Cannabis use in the past 12 months, daily or almost daily (adults)

Population 18 and over who reported that they have used cannabis daily or almost daily in the past 12 months. The percentage of daily or almost daily cannabis users is calculated out of the full population.

Cannabis use in the past 12 months (youth, youth reported)

Youth aged 12 to 17 who reported using cannabis anywhere from "once or twice" to "daily or almost daily" in the last 12 months. “Daily or almost daily” refers to those who reported using cannabis daily or almost daily in the past 12 months.

Current smoker, daily or occasional (adults)

Population aged 18 and over who reported being a current smoker. Does not take into account the number of cigarettes smoked. Data collected for this indicator is based on the question referring to smoking of cigarettes only. Daily smoker refers to those who reported smoking cigarettes every day. Occasional smoker refers to those who reported smoking cigarettes occasionally. This includes former daily smokers who now smoke occasionally.

Smoked daily or occasionally, past 30 days (youth, youth reported)

Youth aged 12 to 17 who reported smoking cigarettes daily or occasionally in the last 30 days. Does not take into account the number of cigarettes smoked. Daily smoker refers to those who reported smoking cigarettes every day in the last 30 days. Occasional smoker refers to those who reported smoking in the last 30 days but not everyday.

Heavy drinking (adults)

Heavy drinking refers to those who have had five or more alcoholic drinks for males, or four or more drinks for females, on one occasion, at least once a month in the past year.

Used e-cigarette or vaping device, past 30 days (adults)

Population aged 18 and over who have used an e-cigarette or vaping device within the past 30 days.

Used e-cigarette or vaping device, past 30 days (youth, youth reported)

Youth aged 12 to 17 who reported using an e-cigarette or vaping device within the past 30 days. This includes vaporizers with e-juice, vape pens, tanks and mods.

Sleep

Met sleep guidelines in the last 7 days (youth, youth reported)

Youth aged 12 to 17 who met the recommended sleep guidelines. Derived from sleep and wake up times reported by the youth. According to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, it is recommended that youth aged 12 to 13 get 9 to 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night while youth aged 14 to 17 years should get 8 to 10 hours per night.

Met sleep guidelines in the last 7 days (children, parent reported)

Children aged 3 to 11 who met the recommended sleep guidelines for their age group. Derived from sleep and wake up times reported by the person most knowledgeable in the household. According to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, it is recommended that children aged 3 to 4 get 10 to 13 hours of sleep per night, while children aged 5 to 11 get 9 to 11 hours of sleep per night.

Subjective well-being

Life satisfaction, satisfied or very satisfied (adults)

Population aged 18 and over who reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their life in general.

Life satisfaction, satisfied or very satisfied (youth, youth reported)

Youth aged 12 to 17 who reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their life in general.

Life satisfaction, satisfied or very satisfied (of parent)

Parent or legal guardian of a child or youth aged 1 to 17 who reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their life in general. Here, the phrase "parent or legal guardian" includes the "person most knowledgeable".

Perceived life stress, most days quite a bit or extremely stressful (adults)

Population aged 18 and over who reported perceiving that most days in their life were quite a bit or extremely stressful.

Perceived life stress, quite a bit stressful or extremely stressful (youth, youth reported)

Youth aged 12 to 17 who reported perceiving that most days in their life were quite a bit or extremely stressful.

Perceived life stress, quite a bit stressful or extremely stressful (of parent)

Parent or legal guardian of a child or youth aged 1 to 17 who reported perceiving that most days in their life were quite a bit or extremely stressful. Here, the phrase "parent or legal guardian" includes the "person most knowledgeable".

Sense of community belonging, somewhat strong or very strong (adults)

Population aged 18 and over who reported their sense of belonging to their local community as being somewhat strong or very strong. Research shows a high correlation of sense of community-belonging with physical and mental health.

Health status

Perceived health, very good or excellent (adults)

Population aged 18 and over who reported perceiving their own health status as being either excellent or very good. Health means not only the absence of disease or injury but also physical, mental and social well-being.

Perceived health, very good or excellent (youth, youth reported)

Health status of youth aged 12 to 17, reported by the youth as being "very good or excellent".

Perceived health, very good or excellent (children and youth, parent reported)

Health status of children and youth aged 1 to 17, reported by the person most knowledgeable in the household as being "very good or excellent".

Perceived mental health, very good or excellent (adults)

Population aged 18 and over who reported perceiving their own mental health status as being excellent or very good. Perceived mental health provides a general indication of the population suffering from some form of mental disorder, mental or emotional problems, or distress, not necessarily reflected in perceived health.

Perceived mental health, very good or excellent (youth, youth reported)

Mental health status of youth aged 12 to 17, reported by the youth as being "very good or excellent".

Perceived mental health, very good or excellent (children and youth, parent reported)

Mental health status of children and youth aged 1 to 17, reported by the person most knowledgeable in the household as being "very good or excellent".

Chronic conditions

Arthritis (adults)

Population aged 18 and over who reported that they have been diagnosed by a health professional as having arthritis. Arthritis includes osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, but excludes fibromyalgia.

Diabetes (adults)

Population aged 18 and over who reported that they have been diagnosed by a health professional as having Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, including females 15 and over who reported that they have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Diabetes (children and youth, parent reported)

Children and youth aged 1 to 17 who have been diagnosed by a health professional as having diabetes, reported by the person most knowledgeable in the household. Excludes prediabetes.

High blood pressure (adults)

Population aged 18 and over who reported that they have been diagnosed by a health professional as having high blood pressure.

Mood disorders (adults)

Population aged 18 and over who reported that they have been diagnosed by a health professional as having a mood disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, mania or dysthymia.

Mood disorders (children and youth, parent reported)

Children and youth aged 5 to 17 who have been diagnosed by a health professional as having a mood disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, mania or dysthymia, reported by the person most knowledgeable in the household.

Overweight and obesity

Overweight and obesity are based on self-reported height and weight. The World Health Organization thresholds by age and sex were used for respondents aged 15 to 17 to define overweight and obesity. Pregnant females were excluded.

A systematic review of the literature concluded that self-reported data from adults underestimate weight and overestimate height, resulting in lower estimates of obesity than those obtained from measured data. Data from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey subsample, where both measured and self-reported height and weight were collected, were used to develop body mass index correction equations. The results in this dashboard reflect overweight and obesity estimates adjusted using these equations.

Obesity (adults)

A body mass index (weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in metres) above 30 is classified as obese for respondents aged 18 or older.

Overweight (adults)

A body mass index (weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in metres) of 25.00 to 29.99 is classified as overweight for respondents aged 18 or older.