Summary of key findings

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Mortality rates among children and teenagers living in Inuit Nunangat, 1994 to 2008

Publication: Health Reports 2012:23(3) www.statcan.gc.ca/healthreports

Authors: Lisa N. Oliver, Paul A. Peters and Dafna E. Kohen

Data: The Vital Statistics Database (1994 to 2008) and the 1996 and 2006 Census

Because Vital Statistics data do not include information on Inuit identity in all jurisdictions, mortality rates cannot be calculated specifically for Inuit. However, Inuit in Canada are geographically concentrated—78% live in Inuit Nunangat, and 82% of the area's total population identify as Inuit. While there are limitations, geographic approaches can be employed to calculate mortality for the population of that area.

In this study, the Vital Statistics Database (1994 to 2008) and population estimates were used to calculate age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) in five-year intervals around the 1996 and 2006 Census years. Mortality rates were calculated for 1- to 19-year olds living in Inuit Nunangat and those living elsewhere in Canada.

The ASMR in 2004-2008 for 1- to 19-year-olds in Inuit Nunangat was 188.0 deaths per 100,000 person-years at risk, five times the rate (35.3) elsewhere in Canada. The disparity had not narrowed over the previous decade. In Inuit Nunangat, injuries were responsible for 64% of deaths of children and teenagers, compared with 36% in the rest of Canada.

Full article

For more information about this article, contact Paul Peters (1-613-951-0616; paul.a.peters@statcan.gc.ca), Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada.