Health Reports
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A Canadian peer-reviewed journal of population health and health services research
December 2011
Gender differences in functional limitations among Canadians with arthritis: The role of disease duration and comorbidity
by D. Walter Rasugu Omariba
Arthritis is one of the most prevalent chronic illnesses in Canada. It is a major cause of functional limitations, dependency and health care use, and a contributing factor in lower participation in the labour force and in other activities. In 2008, an estimated 15% of Canadians aged 12 or older—about 4 million people— reported having been diagnosed with arthritis. The numbers are projected to increase to 20% (6.7 million) for people aged 15 or older by 2031.
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- News release in The Daily
Strategies for handling normality assumptions in multi-level modeling: A case study estimating trajectories of Health Utilities Index Mark 3 scores
by Julie Bernier, Yan Feng and Keiko Asakawa
Longitudinal data from Statistics Canada's National Population Health Survey (NPHS) can be used to assess health status dynamics. For more than a decade, the NPHS collected repeated samples every two years. Estimations of repeated measures data are facilitated by using a growth-curve (multi-level) model approach, which allows the estimation of within-individual (level-1) and between-individual (level-2) variations in outcomes. With a growth-curve model, the dynamics can be presented by a trajectory, and associations between socio-economic and health determinants and trajectories of health-related quality of life (HRQL) can be examined.
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- News release in The Daily
November 2011
The impact of considering birthplace in analyses of immigrant health
by Michelle Rotermann
According to the 2006 Census, nearly 20% of Canada's population were foreign-born. Moreover, in the last 35 years, the predominant source countries of immigrants to Canada have shifted from Europe to Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Because of immigrants' increasingly diverse origins, it is important to study them as a non-homogenous group. A challenge facing health researchers is that small sample surveys can limit the analysis of immigrant subpopulations.
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- News release in The Daily
The healthy immigrant effect and mortality rates
by Edward Ng
In 2006, immigrants made up one-fifth (19.8%) of Canada's population, a percentage that is expected to reach at least 25% by 2031. The health and the health services needs of this large and growing share of the population are not necessarily the same as those of people born in Canada. Research has repeatedly found a "healthy immigrant effect"—immigrants' health is generally better than that of the Canadianborn, although it tends to decline as their years in Canada increase. However, the relationship between immigration and health is complex, especially because the origins of immigrants to Canada are increasingly diverse. Since the 1960s, the major source countries have shifted from European to non-European nations. Consequently, it is important to analyze the healthy immigrant effect by birthplace and period of immigration.
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- News release in The Daily
October 2011
Official language proficiency and self-reported health among immigrants to Canada
by Edward Ng, Kevin Pottie and Denise Spitzer
When immigrants arrive in Canada, they are typically in better health than their Canadian-born counterparts. However, this "healthy immigrant effect" may gradually diminish. The transition to poorer health has been found in general self-reported health, mental health status, the prevalence of chronic diseases, and birth and death outcomes. A wide variety of pre- and post-immigration demographic, socio-economic and behavioural factors have been proposed as contributors to this health decline, among which is the individual's ability to function in the language of the new country.
- Summary of key findings
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- News release in The Daily
Remaining life expectancy at age 25 and probability of survival to age 75, by socio-economic status and Aboriginal ancestry
by Michael Tjepkema and Russell Wilkins
Although life expectancy in Canada is among the longest in the world, it differs across population groups. Until recently, estimates by socio-economic indicators and for Aboriginal peoples have generally not been available, because information about these characteristics is not recorded on death registrations. With data from the 1991 to 2001 census mortality follow-up study, which tracked mortality in a 15% sample of the population, it became possible to construct life tables for such groups. These life tables have been updated to include deaths through to the end of 2006 . This report summarizes the updated findings. The objectives are to calculate remaining life expectancy at age 25 and the probability of survival to age 75 during the 1991- to-2006 period by income adequacy, education and residence in shelters, rooming houses and hotels, and for Registered Indians, non-Status Indians and Métis.
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