Health Reports

A Canadian peer-reviewed journal of population health and health services research

June 2022

Prevalence of prescription and non-prescription polypharmacy by frailty and sex among middle-aged and older Canadians

by Daniel A. Harris, Yanling Guo, Nardine Nakhla, Mina Tadrous, David B. Hogan, Deirdre Hennessy, Kellie Langlois, Rochelle Garner, Sarah Leslie, Susan E. Bronskill, George Heckman and Colleen J. Maxwell

Polypharmacy, commonly defined as the concurrent use of five or more medications, has increased substantially in several countries over the past two decades with prevalence estimates ranging between 32% and 66% among those aged 65 years and older. Although more common among older adults and typically among women, notable increases in polypharmacy have also been observed in men and younger adults aged 20 to 65. While receiving multiple medications can be appropriate, exposure to higher numbers of medications is associated with an increased risk of drug interactions, poor medication adherence, adverse medication effects, and high health service use and cost. Several studies have estimated the prevalence of polypharmacy using prescription claims or data sources; however, these fail to capture exposure to non-prescribed medications, such as over-the-counter (OTC) medications and natural health products.

Full article PDF version
Related articles

Prevalence of prescription and non-prescription polypharmacy by frailty and sex among middle-aged and older Canadians

  • Hoover M, Rotermann M, Sanmartin C, Bernier J. Validation of an index to estimate the prevalence of frailty among community-dwelling seniors. Health Reports 2013; 24(9): 10-17.
  • Tremblay M, Wolfson M, Connor Gorber S. Canadian Health Measures Survey: rationale, background and overview. Health Reports 2007; 18 Suppl: 7-20.
  • Tremblay M, Langlois R, Bryan S, Esliger D, Patterson J. Canadian Health Measures Survey pre-test: design, methods, results. Health Reports 2007; 18 Suppl: 21-30.
  • Giroux S. Canadian Health Measures Survey: sampling strategy overview. Health Reports 2007; 18 Suppl: 31-36.
  • Bryan S, St-Denis M, Wojtas D. Canadian Health Measures Survey: clinic operations and logistics. Health Reports 2007; 18 Suppl: 53-70.

Measuring progress in cancer survival across Canadian provinces: Extending the cancer survival index to further evaluate cancer control efforts

by Larry F. Ellison

When combined with other metrics, population-based cancer survival estimates provide an indication of progress in cancer control. Important insight can be gained by studying and tracking improvements in survival on a cancer-by-cancer basis. Nonetheless, public health professionals and policy makers often desire an overall summary measure of progress in cancer survival to assist them in evaluating the effectiveness of cancer control plans. For this purpose, the recently developed cancer survival index (CSI) has become the preferred measure. In addition to age, it adjusts for the potential confounding effects of changes in the distribution of incident cancer cases by cancer type (case-mix) and for sex, whether over time within a population or between populations during a given time period.

Full article PDF version
Related articles

Measuring progress in cancer survival across Canadian provinces: Extending the cancer survival index to further evaluate cancer control efforts

Hospitalization related to chronic hepatitis B and C in recent immigrants in Canada: An immigration administrative data-linked, population-based cohort study

by Edward Ng, Jacklyn Quinlan, George Giovinazzo, Maria Syoufi, Dominique ElienMassenat, Claudia Sanmartin and Curtis Cooper

International commitments from the World Health Organization and the United Nations have prioritized the elimination of hepatitis. Worldwide, 1% of the global population is infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV). The prevalence of HCV is highest in African and Asian countries, while that of HBV is highest in Sub-Saharan Africa; Oceania; and parts of Central Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia. In Canada, an estimated 112,000 individuals are infected with HBV, and 220,000 with HCV. Improving people’s awareness of their hepatitis status allows them to be better equipped to seek earlier care, and knowledge of their HBV or HCV status could improve the treatment and care of chronic viral hepatitis. Of those infected with HBV or HCV, more than half are unaware of their infection. Chronic viral hepatitis can lead to significant morbidity and mortality, and it is estimated that 75% to 85% of HCV-infected individuals develop chronic disease. By contrast, the progression of HBV infection is age dependent, with 80% to 90% of HBV-infected infants developing chronic disease compared with 20% to 30% of HBV-infected adults. These infections are responsible for 80% of hepatocellular carcinoma cases and are major contributors to health care burden. In Canada, HCV is a leading cause for liver transplants among 35- to 59-year-olds. Because of long asymptomatic latency periods, chronic HBV- and HCV-associated and liver-related sequelae are related to the duration of infection and are often associated with older age. Immigrants from countries where HBV and HCV are endemic, while unaware, may be at a higher risk of infection and future liver-related hospitalization.

Full article PDF version
Related articles

Hospitalization related to chronic hepatitis B and C in recent immigrants in Canada: An immigration administrative data-linked, population-based cohort study

  • Ng E, Elien Massenat D, Giovinazzo G, et al. Tuberculosis-related hospital use among recent immigrants to Canada. Health Reports 2018; 29(7): 14-28.
Report a problem on this page

Is something not working? Is there information outdated? Can't find what you're looking for?

Please contact us and let us know how we can help you.

Privacy notice

Date modified: