Health Reports (Volume 19, No. 1)

• "Health care use among gay, lesbian and bisexual Canadians" provides the first national picture of health care use by sexual orientation. The study examines whether consultations with health care providers, not having a regular doctor, receipt of preventive screening tests, and unmet health care needs vary by sexual identity for Canadians aged 18 to 59. Results are based on the Canadian Community Health Survey combined 2003 and 2005 data.
• "An algorithm to differentiate diabetic respondents in the Canadian Community Health Survey" explains a method of determining whether respondents to the Canadian Community Health Survey who report diabetes have type 1 or type 2, based on their answers to questions about age of onset, medication use, and timing of the initiation of insulin treatment.
• "Chronic pain in Canadian seniors" describes the prevalence of chronic pain among seniors living in private households and in long-term health care institutions. Associations between an increase in chronic pain and unhappiness and negative self-perceived health are examined. Data are from the 1994/1995 through 2002/2003 National Population Health Survey and the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey.
• "Getting a second opinion: Health information and the Internet" is based on findings from the 2005 Canadian Internet Use Survey. This article examines adults’ use of the Internet to access health information. The study also looks at the type of searches conducted by those who sought health information.
• "Life expectancy in the Inuit-inhabited areas of Canada, 1989 to 2003" uses a geographic-based approach to estimate life expectancy in areas where at least 33% of residents were Inuit. The data are from the Canadian Mortality Database and the Census of Canada.
• "Obesity and the eating habits of the Aboriginal population" compares rates of overweight/obesity and obesity and food consumption patterns of off-reserve Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people aged 19 to 50 in Ontario and the western provinces. The data are from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey: Nutrition.

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Previous issues:

Health Reports (Volume 18, No. 4)

• The article "Work stress among health care providers" compares levels of work stress – a factor that has been linked to poor physical and mental health and to occupational injury – among various types of health care providers. Associations between stress and selected job-related, socio-demographic and personal characteristics are also described. The data are from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey.
• "Birth outcomes by neighbourhood income and recent immigration in Toronto" examines differences in birth outcomes by neighbourhood income and recent immigration for singleton live births in Toronto. The birth data were extracted from hospital discharge abstracts compiled by the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
• "Hip fracture outcomes in the household population" presents a profile of Canadians aged 60 or older who had sustained a hip fracture and were living in a household during the year after that fracture. The information is based on data from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey.
• "Trends in influenza vaccination in Canada, 1996/1997 to 2005" reports recent trends in influenza vaccination rates in Canada, provides data on predictors of vaccination for 2005, and examines longer-term effects of Ontario’s universal influenza immunization program on vaccine uptake. The data are from the 1996/1997 National Population Health Survey and the 2000/2001, 2003 and 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey.

Health Reports (Volume 18, No. 3)

• The study "Physically active Canadians" shows that almost one-half (48%) of the population aged 12 or older, some 12.7 million people, were classified as "inactive" during their leisure time in 2005, meaning that they did the equivalent of less than half an hour of walking each day. The article looks at levels of leisure-time and non-leisure time physical activity among people aged 12 or older and factors associated with being active. The data are from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey.
• The study "Smoking bans: Influence on smoking prevalence" found that in the past decade, smokers living in newly smoke-free homes or workplaces were more likely to quit over the next two years than smokers with no restrictions at home or at work. This article presents the prevalence of household and workplace smoking bans, and analyses the association between the imposition of bans and the likelihood that smokers will quit. The data are from the 2000 to 2006 Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, and the 1996/1997 to 2004/2005 National Population Health Survey.
• "Smoking: prevalence, bans and exposure to second-hand smoke" looks at the prevalence of smoking, household smoking bans, and non-smokers’ exposure to second-hand smoke. The data are from the 2000/2001, 2003 and 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey.
• "Work injuries" examines the prevalence and circumstances of non-fatal on-the-job injuries, and the characteristics of workers who are injured. The data are from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey.

Health Reports (Volume 18, No. 2)

• "Canadians’ eating habits" is an overview of Canadians’ eating habits: total calories consumed and the number of servings from the various food groups, as well as the percentage of total calories from fat, protein and carbohydrates. The data are from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey.
• "Marital breakdown and subsequent depression" looks at the prevalence of depression among people who experienced a marital breakdown. It also examines other factors that might be associated with the risk of depression such as a change in income or in the level of social support. The data are from the 1994/1995 through 2004/2005 National Population Health Survey.
• "Sodium consumption at all ages" examines the amount of sodium that Canadians consume by age and sex, and compare it to recommended levels of sodium intake. The main sources of sodium are considered. Comparisons are made with daily sodium intake in the United States. The data are from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey.
• "Trends in weight change among Canadian adults" examines how the pace of weight gain has changed among Canadian adults over the 1996/1997 to 2002/2003 period. The data are from the National Population Health Survey.

Health Reports (Volume 18, No. 1)

• The article "Going to the doctor" describes patterns of consultation with general practitioners and specialists among Canadians aged 18 or older. It sheds light on the factors that play a role in determining whether Canadians see a physician or specialist. The article describes results from a study based on data from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) which shows that individual health needs, as measured by chronic conditions and self-perceived general and mental health, still have a strong impact on determining whether Canadians consult a doctor. However, when these health needs were taken into account, a number of other factors – one of which was household income – had an independent effect on whether adults saw a doctor. These other factors included the age and sex of individuals, as well as their race, language and place of residence, whether it was rural or urban.
• Results in "Depression and work impairment" show that almost 4% of workers aged 25 to 64 in 2002 had had an episode of depression the previous year. Compared with people who had not experienced depression, they had high odds of reducing work activity and being absent from work.
• The study "Second or subsequent births to teenagers" examines trends in the rate of second or subsequent births to teenagers. It also looks at the risk of low birthweight among these babies.
• "Medically unexplained physical symptoms" shows that in 2003, 1.3% of Canadians aged 12 or older reported that they had been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, 1.5% with fibromyalgia, and 2.4% with multiple chemical sensitivities. Close to a quarter of people with these conditions were dissatisfied with their lives, compared with 8% of those who were not affected.