Definitions and data sources

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Statistics Canada obtains its health indicators data from various sources, as does the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

Definitions are presented below according to the Health Indicator Framework.

Health status
Non–medical determinants of health
Health system performance
Community and health system characteristics

1. Health status

1.1 Well-being

Perceived health
Perceived mental health
Perceived life stress

1.2 Health conditions

Adult body mass index
Youth body mass index
Changes over time in body mass index
Arthritis
Diabetes
Asthma
High blood pressure
Pain or discomfort that prevents activities
Pain or discomfort by severity
Mood disorders New
Low birth weight
Cancer incidence
Injury hospitalization (CIHI)
Injuries
Hospitalized stroke event rate (CIHI) New
Hospitalized Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) event rate (CIHI) New

1.3 Human function

Functional health
Two–week disability days
Participation and activity limitation
Disability–free life expectancy
Disability–adjusted life expectancy
Health–adjusted life expectancy

1.4 Deaths

Infant mortality
Perinatal mortality
Life expectancy
Total mortality
All diseases of the circulatory system deaths
All malignant neoplasms (cancer) deaths
All diseases of the respiratory system deaths
Suicide
Unintentional injury deaths
AIDS deaths
Potential Years of Life Lost
– for provincial/territorial level time (PYLL)
– for total mortality (PYLL)
– for all cancer deaths (PYLL)
– for all ciculatory disease deaths (PYLL)
– for all respiratory disease deaths (PYLL)
– for unintentional injuries (PYLL)
– Suicide (PYLL)
– AIDS deaths (PYLL)

2. Non-medical determinants of health

2.1 Health behaviours

Smoking (formerly referred to as Type of smoker)
Changes over time in smoking behaviour
Heavy drinking
Physical activity during leisure time
Changes over time in physical activity level
Breastfeeding practices
Fruit and vegetable consumption

2.2 Living and working conditions

High school graduates
Post–secondary graduates
Unemployment rate
Long–term unemployment rate
Low income rate
Children in low–income families
Average personal income
Median share of income
Government transfer income
Housing affordability
Crime incidents
Adults and Youth Charged

2.3 Personal resources

Sense of community belonging
Life satisfaction New

2.4 Environmental factors

Exposure to second–hand smoke at home
Exposure to second–hand smoke in vehicles and public places

3. Health system performance

3.1 Acceptability

Patient satisfaction (and quality rating of services received)

3.2 Accessibility

Influenza immunization
Mammography
Pap smear test
Regular medical doctor
Colorectal cancer screening New
Wait time for hip fracture surgery (CIHI)

3.3 Appropriateness

Caesarean section (CIHI)

3.4 Effectiveness

Ambulatory care sensitive conditions (CIHI)
30–day Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) in–hospital mortality rate
30–day Stroke in-hospital mortality rate
Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) readmission rate
Asthma readmission rate
Hysterectomy readmission rate
Prostatectomy readmission rate

3.5 Safety

Hospitalized hip fracture event rate (CIHI) New
In–hospital hip fracture (CIHI)

4. Community and health system characteristics

4.1 Community

Population estimates
Population density
Dependency ratio
Urban and rural population
Aboriginal population
Immigrant population
Internal migrant mobility
Metropolitan influenced zones (MIZ)
Lone-parent families
Visible minority population
Teen pregnancy

4.2 Health system

Inflow/outflow ratio (CIHI)
Coronary artery bypass graft (CIHI)
Percutaneous coronary intervention (CIHI)
Cardiac revascularization (CIHI)
Hip replacement (CIHI)
Knee replacement (CIHI)
Hysterectomy (CIHI)
Contact with alternative health care providers
Contact with a medical doctor
Contact with health professionals about mental health
Contact with dental professionals

4.3 Resources

Doctors (CIHI)