Health Indicators
Data tables and definitions

Well–being

Broad measures of the physical, mental, and social well-being of individuals.

• Perceived health
• Perceived mental health
• Perceived life stress

Health conditions

Alterations or attributes of the health status of an individual which may lead to distress, interference with daily activities, or contact with health services; it may be a disease (acute or chronic), disorder, injury or trauma, or reflect other health related states such as pregnancy, aging, stress, congenital anomaly, or genetic predisposition.

• Adult body mass index
• Youth body mass index
• Arthritis
• Diabetes
• Asthma
• High blood pressure
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Pain or discomfort that prevents activities
• Pain or discomfort by severity
• Mood disorders
• Birth-related indicators
  • Low birth weight
  • High birth weight
  • Small for gestational age
  • Large for gestational age
  • Pre-term births
• Cancer incidence
• Injury hospitalization
• Injuries
• Hospitalized stroke event
• Hospitalized acute myocardial infarction event
• Hospitalizations entirely caused by alcohol

Human function

Levels of human function are associated with the consequences of disease, disorder, injury and other health conditions. They include body function/structure (impairments), activities (activity limitations), and participation (restrictions in participation).

• Functional health
• Participation and activity limitation
• Disability–free life expectancy
• Disability–adjusted life expectancy
• Health–adjusted life expectancy

Deaths

A range of age-specific and condition specific mortality rates as well as derived indicators.

• Infant mortality
• Perinatal mortality
• Life expectancy
• Contribution of selected causes of death to changes (over 1, 5, 10 years) in life expectancy at birth, by sex
• Contribution of drug poisoning deaths to changes (over 1 and 5 years) in life expectancy at birth, by sex
• Contribution of age specific death rates to changes (over 1, 5, 10 years) in life expectancy at birth, by sex
• Contribution of selected causes of death to differences in life expectancy at birth between males and females
• Contribution of potentially avoidable causes of death to changes (over 1 and 5 years) in life expectancy at birth, by sex
• Age-standardized mortality rate (for provincial/territorial level time-series)
  • Total mortality by selected causes
  • 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
• Premature mortality
• Potential years of life lost (PYLL)
  • for provincial/territorial level time–series
  • for total mortality
  • for all cancer deaths
  • for all circulatory disease deaths
  • for all respiratory disease deaths
  • for unintentional injuries
  • for Suicide
  • for AIDS deaths

Health behaviours

Aspects of personal behaviour and risk factors that epidemiological studies have shown to influence health status.

• Smoking
• Heavy drinking
• Physical activity during leisure time
• Self-reported physical activity, adult (18 years and over)
• Self-reported physical activity, youth (12 to 17 years old)
• Breastfeeding practices
• Fruit and vegetable consumption
• Bicycle helmet use

Living and working conditions

Indicators related to the socio-economic characteristics and working conditions of the population that epidemiological studies have shown to be related to health.

• 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^{Note 2}
• Adults and youths charged^{Note 2}
• Household food insecurity

Personal resources

Measures the prevalence of factors, such as social support that epidemiological studies have shown to be related to health.

• Sense of community belonging
• Life satisfaction

Environmental factors

Environmental factors with the potential to influence human health.

• Exposure to second–hand smoke at home
• Exposure to second–hand smoke in vehicles and public places
• Lead concentration
• Bisphenol A concentration
• Mercury concentration

Acceptability

All care/service provided meets the expectations of the client, community, providers and paying organizations, recognizing that there may be conflicting or competing interests between stakeholders, and that the needs of the clients/patients are paramount.

• Patient satisfaction (and quality rating of services received)^{Note 2}

Accessibility

The ability of clients/patients to obtain care/service at the right place and right time, based on respective needs.

• Influenza immunization
• Mammography
• Pap smear
• Colorectal cancer screening
• Regular medical doctor
• Hip fracture surgery within 48 hours

Appropriateness

Care/service provided is relevant to the clients’/patients’ needs and based on established standards.

• Caesarean section
• Patients with repeat hospitalizations for mental illness

Continuity

The ability to provide uninterrupted, coordinated care/service across programs, practitioners, organizations, and levels of care/service, over time.

• 30-day readmission for mental illness

Effectiveness

The care/service, intervention or action achieves the desired results.

• Ambulatory care sensitive conditions
• 30-day acute myocardial infarction in-hospital mortality
• 30-day stroke in–hospital mortality
• 30-day acute myocardial infarction readmission
• 30-day obstetric readmission
• 30-day pediatric readmission
• 30-day surgical readmission
• 30-day medical readmission
• Self-injury hospitalization
• Potentially avoidable mortality and potential years of life lost (PYLL)
  • Mortality from preventable causes
  • Mortality from treatable causes
  • Preventable and treatable mortality, by remoteness geography

Safety

Potential risks of an intervention or the environment are avoided or minimized.

• Hospitalized hip fracture event

Community

Characteristics of the community or the health system that, while not indicators of health status or health system performance in themselves, provide useful contextual information.

• Population estimates^{Note 1}
• Population distribution by size of population centre
• Population density
• Dependency ratio^{Note 1}
• Aboriginal population
• Immigrant population
• Internal migrant mobility
• Metropolitan influenced zones (MIZ)
• Lone–parent families
• Visible minority population

Health system

Characteristics of the community or the health system that, while not indicators of health status or health system performance in themselves, provide useful contextual information.

• Inflow/outflow ratio
• Coronary artery bypass graft
• Percutaneous coronary intervention
• Cardiac revascularization
• Hip replacement
• Knee replacement
• Hysterectomy
• Contact with alternative health care providers
• Contact with a medical doctor
• Contact with health professionals about mental health
• Contact with dental professionals
• Mental illness hospitalization rate
• Mental illness patient days rate

Resources

Characteristics of the community or the health system that, while not indicators of health status or health system performance in themselves, provide useful contextual information.

• Doctors rate