Health : Canada/International Links

Santé : Liens canadiens et internationaux

Updated June 27, 2009
Page révisée le 27 juin 2009

---

June 26, 2009
Canadian Community Health Survey, 2008
In 2008, 84% of Canadians aged 12 or older reported that they had a regular medical doctor, down from 86% in 2003. Between 2005 and 2008, the rate of Canadians who reported high blood pressure, diabetes and influenza immunization increased. The reported prevalence of asthma remained stable over this period.

June 25, 2009
Health Profile
This profile features community-level data from a number of sources including Statistics Canada's health surveys, administrative data, and the census of population. The application is designed to give quick access to the latest health-related data available for a selected health region, providing the corresponding provincial data by default, but users can easily select any region of choice for comparison.

June 25, 2009
Health Indicators, 2009
Providing the latest readings on the health of Canadians – region by region
This publication, produced jointly by Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), is a compilation of over 80 indicators measuring health status, non-medical determinants of health, health–system performance and community and health-system characteristics.

Health Indicators 2009
June 2009
Health Indicators 2009 is the tenth in a series of annual reports containing the most recently available health indicators data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information and Statistics Canada. In view of the 10-year anniversary, this issue of the report also presents national trends over time for selected indicators focusing on the following six themes: heart attacks and cardiac revascularization; stroke; women's health and men's health—selected surgical procedures; hip fractures; joint replacements; and preventing hospital admissions. The aim of this information is to assist stakeholders and decision makers in the use and interpretation of the indicator data.
- Table of contents, includes links to PDF files for each chapter:
* Celebrating Ten Years of Health Indicators
* Health Indicator Framework
* In Focus: Heart Attacks and Cardiac Revascularization
* In Focus: Stroke
* In Focus: Women's Health, Men's Health - Selected Surgical Procedures
* In Focus: Hip Fractures
* In Focus: Joint Replacement Surgery
* In Focus: Preventing Hospital Admissions
* Health Indicators-Region by Region
* Regional Map

Source:
Canadian Institute for Health Information

Download the
complete report in one file* (PDF - 4.4MB, 148 pages)
June 2009
*NOTE: Read the following before clicking the PDF link above:

< Begin Privacy Rant >

Any visitor who clicks the PDF link above will be taken to an online form that demands information about the visitor, including email address, in order to access the report.
To the nice folks at the Canadian Institute for Health Information:
STOP THAT!
Never, ever, force people to give you their email address in order to access a public document on your site.
When a government website does that, it's obstruction and intimidation. Period.
Stop it.

TIP - for visitors who wish to download the complete PDF without adding your email address to their list:
The report isn't sent to the email address that you enter on the form - it just opens the next page.
So make up an email address - I used "private@rogers.com" and I was able to download the report .

< / End Privacy Rant >

[I rant because you can't...]

---

June 26, 2009
Canadian Community Health Survey, 2008
In 2008, 84% of Canadians aged 12 or older reported that they had a regular medical doctor, down from 86% in 2003. Between 2005 and 2008, the rate of Canadians who reported high blood pressure, diabetes and influenza immunization increased. The reported prevalence of asthma remained stable over this period.
Source:
The Daily
[ Statistics Canada ]

---

UNICEF Canada Report on Aboriginal Children’s Health Shows Disparities
Between Aboriginal Children and National Averages a Major Children’s Right Challenge
Health of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children Well Below National Averages
News Release
June 24, 2009
Toronto - UNICEF Canada is marking the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child with the release today of a report called Aboriginal Children’s Health: Leaving No Child Behind- the Canadian Supplement to State of the World’s Children 2009. UNICEF Canada partnered with the National Collaborating Centre on Aboriginal Health to produce the report, which examines the health of Aboriginal children in Canada through the perspectives of national experts and analysis of existing data. The report concludes that health disparities between First Nations, Inuit and Métis children relative to national averages is one of the most significant children’s rights challenges facing our nation.

Aboriginal Children’s Health: Leaving No Child Behind:
The Canadian Supplement to State of the World’s Children 2009
* Complete report (PDF - 6.6MB, 61 pages)
* Summary (PDF - 379K, 4 pages)
* Highlights (HTML)

[ Other UNICEF Canada Publications ]

Source:
UNICEF Canada
Since 1955, UNICEF Canada has grown into a recognized national symbol for the world’s children and the most visible United Nations presence across the country. UNICEF Canada’s mandate is to raise funds in support of UNICEF’s work for children in more than 150 countries and territories and build awareness among Canadians about the issues facing the world’s children.

---

Related link from UNICEF:

The State of the World’s Children, 2009:
Maternal and Newborn Health
January 2009
"The State of the World's Children 2009 examines critical issues in maternal and newborn health, underscoring the need to establish a comprehensive continuum of care for mothers, newborns and children. The report outlines the latest paradigms in health programming and policies for mothers and newborns, and explores policies, programmes and partnerships aimed at improving maternal and neonatal health. Africa and Asia are a key focus for this report, which complements the previous year's issue on child survival."

[ Previous editions of The State of the World's Children reports - back to 1996]

Source:
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Related link:

Aboriginal children's health below national averages: UNICEF
By Amy Minsky, Canwest News Service
The infant mortality rate across Canadian First Nations reserves is up to seven times higher than among the general population, according to a report released Wednesday from UNICEF Canada. And between 2002 and 2006, the tuberculosis rate among the Inuit was 90 times higher than in the non-Aboriginal population in Canada, the study said. The report's authors said this disparity is a symptom of a larger problem — not all Canadian children are treated equally when it comes to health care.
Source:
Canada.com

These links will take you further down on the page you're now reading:
Drug Assistance Programs and Expenditures in Canada
Health Care in Canada reports (Canadian Institute for Health Information)
Call for a National Autism Strategy
The Health of Canadians - December 2006 (from the Canadian Council on Social Development)

New from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada:

Reporting on Health Indicators—Health Canada
December 2008
In 2000, the Government of Canada and provincial and territorial governments reached an historic agreement on health that set out a vision, principles, and an action plan for health system renewal. The First Ministers' commitments on health also called for improvements in accountability and reporting to Canadians and directed federal, provincial, and territorial health ministers to develop indicators that could be compared across jurisdictions and over time to measure progress on renewal. All jurisdictions later committed to public reporting every two years on a number of health indicators—for example, wait times and patient satisfaction with health services. First Ministers' agreements in 2003 and 2004 further reiterated reporting requirements.

News Release:
Report on health indicators is of limited value to Canadians
(Chapter 8—Reporting on Health Indicators—Health Canada - December 2008 Report of the Auditor General)
February 5, 2009
Health Canada has published health indicator reports as a result of commitments made by First Ministers in 2000, 2003, and 2004, says the Auditor General of Canada, Sheila Fraser, in her Report tabled today in the House of Commons. However, these reports do not meet the broader intent of providing Canadians with information on the progress of health care renewal.

Source:
2008 December Report of the Auditor General of Canada
February 5, 2009
[ Office of the Auditor General of Canada ]

Poverty is making us sick : A comprehensive survey
of income and health in Canada (PDF - 522K, 39 pages)
By Ernie Lightman Ph.D, Andrew Mitchell and Beth Wilson
December 2008
"(...) the poorest one-fifth of Canadians, when compared to the richest twenty percent, have:
• more than double the rate of diabetes and heart disease;
• a sixty percent greater rate of two or more chronic health conditions;
• more than three times the rate of bronchitis;
• nearly double the rate of arthritis or rheumatism."
Source:
Partners in this report include:
Social Assistance in the New Economy
Wellesley Institute
Community Social Planning Council of Toronto

Related Toronto Star article:

Higher pay, better health
December 2, 2008
By Laurie Monsebraaten
Poverty is making Canadians sick, robbing thousands of their health and creating huge costs to the public health-care system, says a new report to be released today. But boosting incomes of the poor – even by $1,000 per year – can lead to significant health improvements, says the report by the University of Toronto's Social Assistance in the New Economy program. (...) The study, based on the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey, found that every $1,000 increase in income for the poor resulted in nearly 10,000 fewer chronic health care problems.
Source:
healthzone.ca
[ part of the Toronto Star ]

Health Council of Canada
"The Health Council of Canada is mandated to monitor and report on the progress of health care renewal in Canada."

Health Council of Canada report calls for early, ongoing action
to tackle trouble spots in kids’ health (PDF file 67K, 2 pages)
News Release
WINNIPEG, JUNE 22, 2006 – While the health of Canada’s children and youth is generally good, especially by global standards, there are serious trouble spots within this population that require strategic, immediate and sustained attention, the Health Council of Canada said in a report released today. The report, Their Future Is Now: Healthy Choices for Canada’s Children & Youth, says many of those
problems are in fact preventable – if we act now. The report looks broadly across child health issues, from immunization and obesity risks to mental health and crime prevention, reviews government commitments to improve child health, highlights effective regional programs and the ingredients key to their success, and offers advice for future action.

Backgrounder (PDF file - 51K, 1 page)

Complete report:

Their Future Is Now: Healthy Choices
for Canada’s Children and Youth (2.5MB, 52 pages)
June 2006

Toronto Star op-ed:
Help children do their best
June 21
Dr. Nuala Kenny, chair of the Health Council of Canada’s working group which created Their Future Is Now: Healthy Choices for Canada’s Children & Youth, penned this op-ed piece for the Toronto Star.

No more time to wait:
Toward benchmarks and best practices in wait time management (PDF file - 731K, 65 pages)
March 2005
"Seven national medical organizations have united to release an interim report examining the problem of wait times for health care in Canada and to establish new benchmarks for medically acceptable wait times for care. The Wait Time Alliance of Canada (WTA) released an interim report today. The Report outlines evidence-based benchmarks for medically acceptable wait times for access to care in: heart, cancer, diagnostic imaging, joint replacement and sight restoration. The report is a direct response to the commitment made by First Ministers in September 2004 (10-Year Plan to Strengthen Health Care) to establish evidence-based benchmarks for medically acceptable wait times in the five priority areas. With the deadline fast approaching (December 31, 2005), Federal-Provincial-Territorial governments have commissioned research on this issue, but have yet to come forward with a process to develop national benchmarks."

Wait Time Alliance members:

Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine
Canadian Association of Radiologists
Canadian Cardiovascular Society
Canadian Medical Association
Canadian Orthopaedic Association
Canadian Ophthalmological Society
Canadian Association of Radiation Oncologists

[Found on the DisAbled Women's Network - Ontario website]

Jordan's Principle, governments' paralysis
Noni MacDonald, M.D., M.Sc, and Amir Attaran, L.L.B., Ph.D.
August 14, 2007
Children are vulnerable members of our society. They are voiceless in decision-making, subject to the judgments and actions of others. First Nations people are also vulnerable — victims of ill-will and broken promises and suffering from the worst social, economic and health conditions in Canada. So imagine the unenviable situation to be a First Nations child, very sick and living on a reserve where there are minimal children's services.
Source:
Canadian Medical Association Journal
[ Canadian Medical Association ]

For related links, go to the First Nations Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/1stbkmrk.htm

What's New from The Daily [Statistics Canada]:

June 18, 2008
Canadian Community Health Survey, 2007
Statistics Canada today releases extensive new data on more than 20 health indicators from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), a comprehensive survey of more than 65,000 Canadians conducted between January 2007 and December 2007. Data for all indicators are available at the national and provincial and territorial level, as well as for 118 health regions across Canada.

Health Reports
A Canadian peer-reviewed journal of population health and health services research
June 2008
Table of contents:
* Sedentary behaviour and obesity - by Margot Shields and Mark S. Tremblay
* Screen time among Canadian adults: A profile - by Margot Shields and Mark S. Tremblay
NOTE: on the health reports page, you'll find links to articles from earlier reports in 2008
[ more health studies and reports from StatCan ]

Social indicators (1981-2004, selected years):
* Health <=== incl. total fertility rates, low birth weight in infants, total infant deaths, mortality rate per 1,000 live births, life expectancy in years (female/male), causes of death for men and women, Body Mass Index (males and females), percentage of smokers, suicide rates

March 19, 2008
Study: Health care use among gay, lesbian and bisexual Canadians, 2003 and 2005
A new study published today in Health Reports provides the first national picture of health care use by sexual orientation. It shows that the use of health care services differs depending on self-identified sexual preference.

February 21, 2008
Study: Chronic pain in Canadian seniors, 1996/1997 and 2005
Chronic pain affects more than one-quarter of seniors living in households and close to 4 out of every 10 seniors in institutions, and it can have a profound impact on their quality of life, according to a new study.
Chronic pain in Canadian seniors
by Pamela L. Ramage-Morin
Abstract
Findings

February 21, 2008
Study: Health information and the Internet, 2005
More than one-third of Canadian adults, over half of them women, used the Internet to search for health information in 2005, according to a new study. Among those who also visited a doctor, more than one-third discussed the results of their Internet search with their physician. The study, "Getting a second opinion: Health information and the Internet," examines adults' use of the Internet to access health information in 2005.

July 11, 2006
Access to health care services, January to December 2005 (Previous release)
The new report, Access to Health Care Services in Canada, provides updated results of the experiences of patients waiting for care, based on 12 full months of data for 2005. Preliminary results from the first six months of data collection were reported in The Daily on January 31, 2006. The updated report confirms that waiting times remain the number one barrier for Canadians who had difficulties in accessing specialized health care services last year.

Complete report:

Access to Health Care Services in Canada
January to December 2005 (PDF file - 370K, 25 pages)

June 13, 2006
Health Indicators
Today's issue of Health Indicators features the latest data from the third cycle (2005) of Statistics Canada's Canadian Community Health Survey.

Complete report:

Health Indicators
Volume 2006, No. 1
Providing the latest readings on the health of Canadians - region by region
This publication, produced jointly by Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), is a compilation of over 80 indicators measuring health status, non-medical determinants of health, health-system performance and community and health-system characteristics.
HTML version - use the links in the left margin to navigate your way through this report
PDF version - 501K, 52 pages

Mortality, summary list of causes in 2001 (PDF file - 1MB, 134 pages)
March 2006
["New products", March 9]
"This publication contains statistical tables showing the number of deaths by age, sex and grouped underlying cause for Canada, the provinces and territories. Also included are age-specific and age-standardized mortality rates by grouped underlying cause of death."

More health reports and statistics from StatCan - [ free reports ] - [ reports for sale ]

Source:
Health Statistics Division
[ Statistics Canada ]

How healthy are Canadians? Annual report 2005
February 9, 2006
Complete report (PDF file - 665K, 69 pages)

Table of contents (download individual articles):

Seniors' health care use [highlights - HTML] [full article - PDF]
Predictors of death in seniors [highlights - HTML] [full article - PDF]
Healthy living among seniors [highlights - HTML] [full article - PDF]
Dependency, chronic conditions and pain in seniors [highlights - HTML] [full article - PDF]
Successful aging in health care institutions [highlights - HTML] [full article - PDF]

Source:
Health Reports Supplement
Health Reports ($)
Health Reports is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal produced by the Health Statistics Division at Statistics Canada.

February 7, 2006
Canada's retirement income programs
The financial reserves in Canada's three principal retirement programs, essential to the future of many Canadians, have doubled since 1990, and they represent one of the largest pools of investment capital in the country.
Related link:
Pension savings of Canadians - table shows, for 1993 and 2003, total accumulated assets of Canadians including public plans, Registered pension plans, Registered retirement savings plans and supplementary retirement income programs.

December 6, 2005
Study: Political activity among young adults, 2003
"Young adults do not vote as often as people in older age groups, but they help make up for it by engaging in other politically-related activities, according to a new report published today in Canadian Social Trends. The report 'Willing to participate: Political engagement of young adults', available free online, used data from the General Social Survey to examine the extent of political activity among young adults aged 22 to 29. It measured their traditional political participation, that is, voting, as well as alternative activities, such as participating in demonstrations or attending public meetings."

Complete article:

Willing to participate: Political engagement of young adults
(PDF file - 157K, 6 pages)

Other free articles from past issues of Canadian Social Trends
- incl. links (in the left margin of the page) to more info on Canadian Social Trends and how to subscribe or to purchase a single copy.

December 5, 2005
Canadian Community Health Survey, Nutrition: Public Use Microdata File, 2004
The public use microdata file from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), Nutrition: General Health Component is now available. This survey collected information from over 35,000 respondents of all ages residing in private households in all 10 provinces. (...) This product is available free of charge to non-profit organizations in the health sector for research and non-commercial purposes. "(bolding added)

November 4, 2005
Study: Socio-economic status and obesity in children, 2000/01
The article "Neighbourhood socio-economic status and the prevalence of overweight Canadian children and youth" has been published in the November-December 2005 issue of the Canadian Journal of Public Health. To obtain a copy of the article, contact Karen Craven (cjph@cpha.ca), Canadian Journal of Public Health.
Related Links:
Canadian Journal of Public Health
[ Canadian Public Health Association ]

May 9, 2005
National Population Health Survey: Healthy aging, 1994/95 to 2002/03
Canadians maintaining healthy behaviours are more likely to stay in good health, according to a new study. The study suggests that unhealthy habits may not have an immediate impact on the middle-aged adults but they tend to catch up to seniors as life goes on.
Related Link:
Healthy Aging: Healthy today, healthy tomorrow?
Findings from the National Population Health Survey
May 2005
By Laurent Martel, Alain Bélanger, Jean-Marie Berthelot and Yves Carrière
HTML version
PDF version (143K, 10 pages)

February 1, 2005
Health Indicators
This new issue of Health Indicators, an Internet-based data publication, features updated health region level data and maps based on the most recent vital and cancer statistics available. Updates include: life expectancy, infant mortality, low-birth weight, and mortality rates by selected causes. Even though Canada has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, today's release of Health Indicators demonstrates that life expectancy varies widely between health regions. People living in Northern and remote regions of Canada, many of whom are Aboriginal, have life expectancies more in line with developing countries than with other Canadians.
Complete report:
Health Indicators vol. 2005, no. 1
- includes profiles and data tables on : Health status - Non-medical determinants of health - Health system performance - Community and health system characteristics

Comparable health indicators: Canada, provinces and territories
December 1, 2004
"Comparable health indicators for Canada, the provinces and territories are now available. Indicators have been jointly selected by provincial and territorial health ministries, and Health Canada. Comparable health indicators address primary health care, home care, other programs and services, catastrophic drug coverage and pharmaceutical management, diagnostic and medical equipment, health human resources and healthy Canadians."

- includes links (in the left-hand margin of the page) to : Plan for reporting - Data tables - Considerations for data production - Reports on comparable health indicators - Related products

Reports on comparable health indicators - links to reports from the federal government (see below) and all provincial and territorial (except Alberta and BC, as at Dec. 2/04)

September 27, 2004
Study: Neighbourhood inequality and self-perceived health status
People living in low income report somewhat better health when they share neighbourhoods with individuals who are more affluent and better educated, according to a new study.
Neighbourhood Inequality, Relative Deprivation and Self-perceived Health Status (PDF file - 287K, 31 pages)

June 30, 2004
Health Services Access Survey, 2003
Canadians have clearly identified waiting times as their number one barrier in accessing specialized health-care services, according to the 2003 Health Services Access Survey. The survey explored access to three types of specialized care: visits to specialists, non-emergency surgeries and diagnostic tests, as well as access to first contact services.
Access to health care services in Canada, 2003
Analytical report - incl. highlights of the report, links to the content (links in the left sidebar) and links to the PDF versions of the highlights and report

June 15, 2004
Canadian Community Health Survey, 2003
"More than 1.2 million Canadians were unable to find a regular medical doctor in 2003, and an additional 2.4 million didn't have one because they hadn't looked for one, according to new results from the Canadian Community Health Survey. (...) The release is co-ordinated with today's release of Health indicators (82-221-XIE, free) a project to produce basic health indicators — such as use of health services, smoking and self-perception of health — for each health region and for peer groups of health regions."

June 15, 2004
Health indicators 2004, no. 1
"The second cycle of data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) is available today free of charge in this latest issue of Health indicators, an Internet-based publication. In 2003, the CCHS collected information from about 135,000 individuals, aged 12 and older, in 126 health regions covering all provinces and territories. Health indicators (2004, no. 1) contains maps and data tables from the CCHS 2003 for 32 indicators. These include dietary practices, frequency of heavy drinking, exposure to second-hand smoke, body mass index, Pap smear, screening mammography, life stress, high blood pressure, diabetes, leisure-time physical activity and much more. Information on all these variables is available by age, sex and various levels of geography, down to the local health region level."
Complete report:
Health Indicators June 2004 (vol. 2004, no. 1)
"Over 80 indicators at the health region, province/territory and Canada level"
- incl. health of Canadians – determinants of health – health system performance – community/health system characteristics
(use the links in the left margin of the Health Indicators page to access the report)

June 2, 2004
Joint Canada/United States Survey of Health, 2002/03
Most Canadians and Americans report being in good to excellent health, according to a new survey that compares health status and access to health care services between the two nations. However, Canadians with the lowest incomes were less likely to be in fair or poor health and less likely to have reported severe mobility limitations than their American counterparts
Complete report:
Joint Canada/United States Survey of Health: Findings and public-use microdata file
HTML version
PDF version - 221K, 33 pages

How healthy are Canadians?
Annual report 2002
August 1, 2002
Highlights
The third in the series of annual reports published by Statistics Canada on the health of Canadians highlights communities, with new information, mainly from the 2000/01 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS).
Communities are viewed from several perspectives:
- Geographically, with analyses of the health regions that have been created by provincial health departments.
- Culturally, with articles examining two specific communities - Aboriginal Canadians living off-reserve and immigrants.
- Socio-economically, with studies of urban neighbourhoods defined by their level of income.

Health Services Access Survey: 2001
July 15, 2002
"Almost one in five Canadians who accessed health care for themselves or a family member in 2001 encountered some form of difficulty, ranging from problems getting an appointment to lengthy waiting times, according to a new survey."
Access to health care services in Canada: 2001
- incl. links to key findings, data tables and related products

The Health of Canada's Communities
The health of Canada's communities 2000/01
July 4, 2002
"Life expectancy in Canada is among the best in the world and has been for several decades. However, health status is by no means evenly distributed across Canada's communities, according to a new study."
Summary
Complete report (PDF file - K, pages)

Government Finance: Revenue, Expenditure and Surplus
June 24, 2002
"The first decline in overall government revenues in four decades, combined with a rise in overall spending, resulted in significant shifts in the distribution of deficits and surpluses in the fiscal year 2001/02, according to new consolidated estimates of government finances. (...) Health, social services and education drive expenditure increases..."
NOTE : "Consolidated government is the general term used to describe the consolidation of the federal government, the provincial and territorial governments, local governments and the Canada and Quebec pension plans."

Health Indicators
May 2003
"Over 80 indicators at the health region, province/territory and Canada level
- health of Canadians – e.g., mortality, health problems;
- determinants of health – e.g., smoking, exercise, income;
- health system performance – e.g., hospital re-admissions;
- community/health system characteristics – e.g., urban population, doctors
Highlights, data table profiles, maps and documentation are also available in this free bi-annual Internet publication.

The health divide: How the sexes differ
Compared with men, women take better care of themselves, and live longer. However, a higher percentage of women have chronic illnesses, and women use health care services more often, according to a special report

Report on health of rural, northern women paints picture of inequity
Canadian Press
June 08, 2004
"TORONTO (CP) - A new report on the health of women in rural and remote settings paints a picture of inequity, with spotty availability of the health services expected by women living in urban centres. Rural women are more likely to be living on low incomes, to experience domestic violence and have to travel long distances to obtain the care they need, said the report by the Centres of Excellence for Women's Health released Tuesday."
Source:
Canada.com

Rural, Remote and Northern Women's Health
Policy and Research Directions
Final Summary Report
Largest Canadian study on rural women's health finds urban solutions do not address rural problems
Canada's health system failing women in rural and remote regions
- final report of a two-year study on the health of rural, remote and Northern women
"...the largest qualitative study in Canada to date to address the health concerns of this important community"
- incl. links to the complete summary report, an executive summary, bibliographies and focus group reports
Complete Summary Report (7.6 MB PDF)*
Executive Summary (3.2 MB PDF)*
Source:
Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence (PWHCE)
Centres of Excellence for Women's Health (Health Canada)
*NOTE: these files are enormous to download, even with a broadband connection. Here's a suggestion for *all* organizations offering their reports online: it's OK to offer a gussied-up version with all the pretty graphics, but it would be appreciated if you would also offer a link to a "stripped-down" version of your report for visitors with older machines. slower connections or accessibility issues.

Google Web Search Results: "rural women, health, Canada, study"
Google News Search Results: "rural women, health, Canada, study"
- direct links to search results pages, always current!
Source:
Google.ca

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NetworkNews - Summer 2004 Issue
"The Summer edition of our quarterly newsletter, NetworkNews, looks at the legal routes to achieving accountability in health care, along with recent cases and their consequences, part of the Health Network's Health Care Accountability Papers."
Complete Newsletter (PDF file - 472K, 12 pages)
[Click "Download" to open the PDF file]

Source:
Canadian Policy Research Networks

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Government Takes Action to Control Spending (includes a detailed backgrounder)
December 16, 2003
- freeze on major capital projects
- freeze on reclassifications
- freeze on the size of the public service
- review of all Government of Canada spending by the Cabinet's Expenditure Review Committee.
Source:
Department of Finance Canada
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Related Links from the Treasury Board website:

Additional Information on the Process of the Expenditure Review Committee
Frequently Asked Questions

October 31, 2003
Factors related to adolescents' self-perceived health, 2000/01
[- first of several on the health of Canadian children that will be released this fall in the How Healthy are Canadians? series of annual supplements to Health reports]
While the majority of Canadian adolescents considered themselves to be in "very good" or "excellent" health in 2000/01, nearly one in three 12- to 17-year-olds rated their health as no better than "good." Adolescents who considered their own health to be poor, fair or good were more likely to smoke, drink or be obese.
Full article in PDF (208K, 10 pages)
Health Reports supplement : How healthy are Canadians? (Annual report 2003)
- incl. a link to the intro for the 2003 report and a list of forthcoming reports in this series
Source:
The Daily - Statistics Canada

A Lost Decade: Income Equality and the Health of Canadians
December 2, 2002
Presentation by Katherine Scott, Senior Policy and Research Associate, at the Social Determinants of Health Conference in Toronto
Source : Canadian Council on Social Development

The Government of Canada Announces an Early Childhood Development Initiative for Aboriginal Children
News Release
October 31, 2002
"...a funding allocation of $320 million over the next five years for a strategy to improve and expand Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs and services for First Nations and other Aboriginal children."
Source : Health Canada

The Health of Canadians – The Federal Role
Volume Six: Recommendations for Reform
The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
Chair: The Honourable Michael J.L. Kirby
Deputy Chair: The Honourable Marjory LeBreton
October 2002
Senate Committee recommends $5B national health care premium new money to reform and expand health care system
News Release
October 25, 2002
"Canadians need to contribute an additional $5 billion per year to health care in order to make the publicly funded system financially sustainable and avert the emergence of a parallel private health care system. The decision facing Canadians is whether they are prepared to make that investment in order to overhaul Medicare."

Speaking Notes for Senators (on the release of Volume Six)

Report - Table of Contents and Part One, plus links to the rest of the report
(HTML - 186K, 29 pages)
Complete report - PDF file - 1169K, 392 pages

Highlights (HTML - 240K, 43 pages)
Highlights (PDF version - 158K, 54 pages)

Source:
Recent Senate Reports
(37th Parliament, 2nd Session)
- incl. links to volumes one to five in this series (from 37th Parliament, 1st Session)
Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology

Work–Life Conflict in Canada in the New Millennium
A Status Report - Final Report
Linda Duxbury, Chris Higgins
October 2003
"As we enter the new millennium, Canadian governments, employers, employees and families face a common challenge—how to make it easier for Canadians to balance their work roles and their desire to have a meaningful life outside of work. The research initiative summarized in this report was undertaken to address this issue."
PDF version (PDF file - 1.7MB, 154 pages)

For links to more work-life balance content, go to the Canadian Social Research Links Work-Life Balance page.

Evaluation of the Maintenance and Preventive Function of Home Care
Hollander Analytical Services
Prepared for Health Canada
Cutting house cleaning help to elderly leads to higher health costs down the line
Press Release (May 26, 2001)
Full-text report (PDF file - 275K, 59 pages)
Source : Hollander Analytical Services

Also on the Hollander website:
National Evaluation of the Cost-Effectiveness of Home Care
"The National Evaluation of the Cost-Effectiveness of Home Care is a major program of research which will provide critical new information to policy makers about the cost-effectiveness of home care in Canada. It has a budget of $1.5 million and is comprised of 15 interrelated substudies, six on the cost-effectiveness of home care compared to care in long term care facilities and nine on the cost-effectiveness of home care as an alternative to care in acute care hospitals."
March 2002

Canadian Institutes of Health Research
"CIHR is Canada's major federal funding agency for health research. Its objective is to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products and a strengthened Canadian health care system."
CIHR's 13 institutes: Aboriginal Peoples' Health - Aging - Cancer Research - Circulatory and Respiratory Health - Gender and Health - Genetics - Health Services and Policy Research - Human Development, Child and Youth Health - Infection and Immunity - Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis - Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction - Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes - Population and Public Health

Population Health Approach
Health Canada
April 2000
"We need to address the entire range of factors that determine health [and] the complex  interactions among these factors"
Population health is an approach to health that aims to improve the health of the entire population and to reduce health inequities among population groups.
Resources and Related Sites
Links to 14 key documents on population health, including:
A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians (PDF file, 1.4MB) - "The 1974 report on health promotion that led to an evolution in thinking about health."

The National Children’s Agenda: Health Canada's contribution
Budget 2000 Information
February 28, 2000
Good overview of Health Canada initiatives for children

Seniors Policies and Programs Database (SPPD)
- Launched in January 2000 by the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors as a unique and lasting legacy of the International Year of Older Persons.
Browse all Records for thousands of program descriptions,
Search the database by program or by jurisdiction, or
View Program Linkages, i.e., see how these programs affect one another (Hello, you quantitative analysts out there...)

Canadian Institute for Health Information
"The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) is an independent, national, not-for-profit organization working to improve the health of Canadians and the health care system by providing quality, reliable and timely health information. CIHI's mandate was established jointly by federal and provincial/territorial ministers of health to coordinate the development and maintenance of a comprehensive and integrated approach to health information for Canada, and to provide and coordinate the provision of accurate and timely data and information required for establishing sound health policy, effectively managing the Canadian health system, and generating public awareness about factors affecting good health."

See the Sitemap of this enormous site for an overview of its content incl. links to research & reports, the CIHI Data Collection, standards, statistics and client services.

Selected site content:

Reducing Gaps in Health: A Focus on Socio-Economic Status in Urban Canada
November 24, 2008
Reducing Gaps in Health: A Focus on Socio-Economic Status in Urban Canada provides a broad overview of the links between socio-economic status and health in 15 Canadian census metropolitan areas (CMAs), while exploring socio-economic patterns and gradients within those CMAs and across urban Canada.
- incl. links to : Full Report | Sections | Companion Products | Media Release | Summary Report | Executive Summary

Full Report (PDF - 3MB, 171 pages)
Table of contents (HTML) - download individual sections of the report
Executive Summary (PDF - 66K, 4 pages)

Canadians in lower socio-economic groups more likely to be hospitalized for mental illness, child asthma
New CIHI study examines health differences in 15 urban areas in Canada; finds gaps wider in some areas than others.
News Release
November 24, 2008

Source:
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)
CIHI is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides essential data and analysis on Canada’s health system and the health of Canadians.

Also from CIHI:

National Health Expenditure Trends, 1975 to 2008
November 13, 2008
- includes updated expenditure data by source of funds (sector) and use of funds (category) at the provincial/territorial level and for Canada.

Health Care in Canada (annual report)
"This report provides up-to-date information on what we know and don't know about the performance of Canada's health care system. Topics covered in the report include the outcomes of care, health expenditures and Canada's health care professionals. Included with this report is a Health Indicators insert, providing new data on a range of health and health system-related indicators at both regional and provincial/territorial levels."

--------------------------------------------

May 29, 2008
Health Indicators, 2008
The publication Health Indicators is a joint project between Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) that provides the latest information about the health system and the health of the population in Canada's health regions, provinces and territories. The Health Indicators 2008 print publication is available today and includes a selection of indicator data and presents analysis on hospitalization rates for ambulatory care sensitive conditions.

Complete report:

Health Indicators 2008
PDF version (2MB, 96 pages)
HTML version - table of contents and related products + link to full PDF version
[ CIHI News Release and Highlights - May 29 ]

Health Care in Canada 2006
June 2006
-download the report in sections or as one single file (PDF file - 784K, 113 pages)

Health Care in Canada 2006 - Fact Sheet (PDF file - 103K, 1 page)

Heart attack survival rates improve—stroke death rates remain the same
In-hospital mortality rates within 30 days of admission with a new heart attack or stroke differ significantly among regions
News Release
June 7, 2006—Canadians admitted to hospital with a new heart attack are less likely to die in hospital within 30 days than in the past, according to a new report released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). (...) Health Care in Canada 2006, [is] CIHI’s seventh annual publication on the state of the health system. For the first time, this year’s report provides trends for two key health indicators: short-term mortality rates following admission with a new heart attack and short-term mortality rates following admission with a new stroke. It also examines how these death rates vary across the country and explores factors that may be associated with better or worse odds of survival, including age, sex and the types of care that patients receive.
- incl.Regional differences | Types of care influence survival rates | Different outcomes for different patients | Other highlights this year | Health Care in Canada 2006 | About CIHI | Figures | Report | Contact

---------------------------------------------------------------

Health Care in Canada, 2005
June 2005
"Part A: A Look Inside Canada's Health System summarizes recent developments in health and health care. It includes an overview of health spending and updated information on how Canadians view the health system and the services that they have received.
* Part B: A Focus on Volumes and Outcomes includes information on the distribution of select procedures across Canada and in-depth analyses of the relationship between hospital volumes and patient outcomes.."
Table of Contents --- List of Selected Figures
- Incl. links to downloads by section and the entire report in a single file
- includes links to the complete report and to individual chapters

Mortality Rate Lower in Higher-Volume Hospitals
News Release
June 8, 2005
"A new report released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows that Canadians have a better chance of surviving some types of highly specialized surgeries in hospitals where greater numbers of these procedures are performed."

--------------------------------------------

Links to Reports for Current and Previous Years - back to 2000

--------------------------------------------

Improving the Health of Canadians 2007-2008: Mental Health and Homelessness
The Improving the Health of Canadians: Mental Health and Homelessness report provides an overview of the latest research, surveys and policy initiatives related to mental health and homelessness and, for the first time, presents data on hospital use by homeless Canadians.
- includes links to the complete report and the media release (both of which are reproduced below) as well as links to download individual report sections, related documents and contact info if you wish to order a paper copy of the report

Complete Report:

Improving the Health of Canadians 2007-2008:
Mental Health and Homelessness (PDF file - 458K, 70 pages)
August 2007

Media Release:

Mental disorders account for more than half of hospital stays among the homeless in Canada:
New CIHI report offers overview of links between mental health, mental illness and homelessness
August 30, 2007—Mental disorders accounted for 52% of acute care hospitalizations among the homeless in 2005–2006 (outside Quebec), according to a new report released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). In addition, the report shows that 35% of visits to selected emergency departments (EDs)—mostly in Ontario—by homeless people were related to mental and behavioural disorders, a proportion that is higher than that for other patients (3%).

Source:
Canadian Population Health Initiative
[ Canadian Institute for Health Information - CIHI ]

Health Indicators, 2007
Date published: May 30, 2007
Health Indicators 2007 is a compilation of selected indicators measuring health status, non-medical determinants of health, health-system performance and community and health-system characteristics. This issue also includes an analytical section that highlights the impact of hip fractures.

- includes links to the complete report and the media release as well as links to download individual report sections, related documents and contact info if you wish to order a paper copy of the report

Complete Report:

Health Indicators, 2007 (PDF file - 1.3MB, 91 pages)

Hospital Report 2007: Acute Care
Date published: August 24, 2007
Hospital Report 2007: Acute Care is a system-wide and hospital-specific report that uses a balanced scorecard approach to provide information on the performance of hospitals that provide acute care in Ontario. The objectives of this series of reports are to facilitate local quality-improvement programs, to encourage openness and transparency in reporting and to support hospitals' accountability to the communities they serve.

- includes links to the complete report and the media release as well as links to download individual report sections, related documents and contact info if you wish to order a paper copy of the report

Complete Report:

Hospital Report 2007: Acute Care (PDF file - 884K, 66 pages)

Health Care Spending to Reach $130 Billion This Year; per Capita Spending to Hit $4,000
Spending up, but rate of increase lowest in last seven years, reports CIHI
News Release
December 8, 2004
"Canada’s health care spending is expected to reach $130.3 billion in 2004, a 5.9% increase over last year, and the lowest annual growth rate since 1997. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) released these figures today in its annual report on Canada’s health expenditure. In 2002, health care spending was $114 billion and is estimated to have reached $123 billion in 2003, for annual increases of 7.3% and 7.9%, respectively."

National Health Expenditure Trends, 1975-2004
"CIHI's eighth annual health expenditure trends publication and provides detailed, updated information on health expenditure in Canada."
- incl. links to the full report and to individual sections .
NOTE: Registration is required to download the report, but you don't need to give your e-mail address if you value your privacy

Executive Summary
Table of Contents
Data Tables
List of Figures

"Provincial/Territorial Government Health Spending Expected to Reach $84 Billion in 2004–2005,
Reports Canadian Institute for Health information: Projected growth lowest in seven years"
News Release
November 3, 2004
"A new report on provincial and territorial government health spending released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows continued growth in health care spending from provincial and territorial governments. Today’s report, Preliminary Provincial/Territorial Government Health Expenditure, 1974–1975 to 2004–2005, reveals provincial and territorial governments are expected to spend $83.9 billion in 2004–2005, an increase of 5.1% over the previous year, the lowest growth recorded since 1997–1998. Provincial and territorial government health spending was projected to reach $74.0 billion in 2002–2003 and $79.8 billion in 2003–2004, reflecting annual growth rates of 7.0% and 7.9% respectively. After removing the effects of inflation, health care expenditures in constant 1997 dollars are projected to reach $72.6 billion in 2004–2005, reflecting a real growth rate of 2.9%."
- incl. links to info about : Proportion of Provincial GDP | Per Capita Spending | Proportion of Governments’ Programs | Category of Service | About NHEX | About CIHI | Charts and Tables | Report | Contact

Complete report
(Registration required, but you don't need to give your e-mail address if you value your privacy)
Executive Summary
Table of Contents (no links, just the table of contents)

Source:
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)

Also from CIHI:

Inpatient Hospitalizations Continue to Decline, Same-Day Surgery Visits on the Rise,
Reports Canadian Institute for Health Information
News Release
October 29, 2004
"New data available today from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) show that inpatient hospitalizations declined by 14.4% between 1995–1996 and 2002–2003, and by 1.7% between 2001–2002 and 2002–2003. Overall, there were 2,770,128 inpatient hospitalizations in Canada in 2002–2003, down from 3,235,313 in 1995–1996. The age-adjusted inpatient hospitalization rate (per 100,000 population) reflects this trend, declining by 22.3% since 1995–1996 and by 3.3% between 2001–2002 and 2002–2003. While most provinces and territories reported a decrease in inpatient hospitalizations between 2001–2002 and 2002–2003, increases were observed in Alberta (2.0%) and the Yukon Territory (6.5%). The largest decreases in inpatient hospitalizations between 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 were reported by the Northwest Territories (8.0%) and New Brunswick (4.9%)."
- incl. in this release: Same-Day Surgery | Length of Stay | Hospitalizations | About CIHI | Charts/Tables | Contact

Charting the Course, Progress Report: Two Years Later: How Are We Doing?
Posted May 2004
Joint publication of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Institute for Health Information
"This report documents the progress made by CPHI and IPPH in responding to key population and public health priorities identified in a cross-country consultation conducted in 2001. The priorities are captured in Charting the Course: A Pan-Canadian Consultation on Population and Public Health Priorities, released in 2002."
Also available on the site:
Charting the Course, Progress Report: Two Years Later: How Are We Doing?(2004) - PDF file - 229K, 31 pages
Charting the Course: A Pan-Canadian Consultation on Population and Public Health Priorities (2002) PDF file - 874K, 52 pages
NOTE: Click on the Charting the Course link (above) to access either of these two reports. In each case, you'll be asked on the following page to indicate what type of organization you're with and your location (province/territory) "to help us prepare more useful and informative reports." You have the option of answering the two questions using the drop-down menus provided, or ignoring them. Then click on "Submit"to get to the page with the link to the PDF file.

Related Links:
Canadian Institute for Health Information
Canadian Institutes of Health Research

From the Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI) :
[ Canadian Institute for Health Information - CIHI ]

New Report Examines Inequalities in Health
Canadians must focus on opportunities to improve health
News Release
"February 25, 2004 - A new report from the Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI) takes stock of enduring inequalities in health in Canada, including among children, Aboriginal peoples and low-income Canadians. Improving the Health of Canadians focuses on why some Canadians are healthy and others are not; and underscores some of the choices communities face in creating more equal opportunities for good health.

Summary Report (PDF file - 507 KB, 43 pages)
Backgrounders:
* Income
* Early Childhood Development
* Aboriginal Peoples' Health
* Obesity

Complete report:

Improving the Health of Canadians 2004
PDF version - 3.4MB, 173 pages
NOTE: clicking the PDF link above takes you to a (free) registration page where you are asked for some personal info (name, e-mail address, etc.). The Canadian Population Health Initiative is a Canadian government organization, so you don't have to worry about your personal info being used inappropriately. However, if you have a personal issue with divulging your personal info online, just click "Submit" at the bottom without completing it and you'll have access to the file.

Feedback - for your comments and suggestions re. Improving the Health of Canadians 2004

Women Live Longer Than Men – but Life-Expectancy Figures Mask Major Health Problems
New Report Provides First Comprehensive Look at Health of Canadian Women; Finds Disturbing Risks Among Young Women
News Release
September 30, 2003
Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI)
"Canadian women live longer than men, but that doesn’t mean they’re healthier. A new report shows that both younger and older women are actually at higher risk than men for many serious health problems."
- In this release: General Findings | Risks for Younger Women | Risks for Older Women | Risks for Single Mothers and Rural Women | About the Report | About CPHI | Contact
Table of Contents - just the TOC, no links to actual content
Complete report:
Women's Health Surveillance Report :
A Multi-Dimensional Look at the Health of Canadian Women (PDF file - 917K, 102 pages)

Poverty and Health - CPHI Collected Papers
The Impact of Poverty on Health by Shelley Phipps, June 2003 (PDF file -297K, 39 pages)
Policy Approaches to Address the Impact of Poverty on Health by David P. Ross, June 2003 (293K, 33 pages)
Poverty and Health: Links to Action - proceedings of the CPHI National Roundtable on Poverty and Health, March 26, 2002 (PDF file - 232K, 36 pages)

Other CPHI reports:
- Children and Youth Health-CPHI Atlantic Regional Workshop
- Determinants of Healthy Communities-CPHI Prairie Regional Workshop
- Place and Health-CPHI Research Workshop Report
- "Initial Directions" Proceedings of CPHI's First Roundtable on Aboriginal Peoples' Health
- Women's Health Surveillance Report
Coming this fall:
- Aboriginal Peoples' Health-CPHI Roundtable Series Reports 2 & 3
- Obesity in Canada-CPHI Roundtable Report

Some samples of recent CIHI site content:

Health Care in Canada 2003
- includes new and updated information on 27 key measures of health and health care for 74 health regions in Canada, representing more than 95% of the country's population
- you'll find all related content at the above link, including the media release, backgrounders, table of contents, downloadable PDF versions of the complete report and individual chapters, a feedback form for your views on the report, etc.

Fourth annual report highlights advances, opportunities in primary health care
Comprehensive report provides baselines to measure progress of reforms
Media Release
May 28, 2003
"Health Care in Canada 2003, produced by CIHI with assistance from Statistics Canada, offers current and updated information at local, regional, national, and international levels from many different sources, including CIHI studies and data from Statistics Canada. The 2003 report also includes new and updated information on 27 key measures of health and health care for 74 health regions in Canada, representing more than 95% of the country's population. For the first time, regions with a population of 75,000 or more are included in the comparisons. These data are available in the accompanying document, Health Indicators 2003."

Health Indicators 2003
Table of Contents (does not include links to the complete report, but gives a quick overview of its content)
Complete Report (PDF file - 1.4MB, 154 pages)
NOTE: [free] registration is required to download this report

Canadian Health Network - "The (CHN) is a new and growing network, bringing together resources of leading Canadian health organizations and international health information providers."

Canadian Health Care System Links
(from about.com) 
Excellent collection of links to federal and provincial/territorial government health care sites, all on one page

Women's Health Bureau
Health Canada
- incl. links to : About Women's Health Bureau - Women's Health Strategy - Facts & Issues - Key Activities - Resources - Links
Some sample content:
- Women's Health Strategy (last updated 01/02)
- Key Activities includes links to : Women's Health Strategy - Centres of Excellence for Women's Health Program - Menopause - Gender-Based Analysis Initiative - Health Canada`s Gender-Based Analysis Policy - Ninth Conference of the Spouses of Heads of State and Government of the Americas - Women's Health Bureau Open House
- Links to Women's Sites - incl. links to women's health organizations in Canada, the U.S. and other countries

Centres of Excellence for Women's Health (Health Canada)
- "The Women's Health Bureau of Health Canada is funding five Centres of Excellence for Women's Health over six years (1996-2002). The Centres are multi-disciplinary and operate as partnerships among academics, community-based organizations and policy makers. Their major aim is to inform the policy process and narrow the knowledge gap on gender and health determinants."
- Northern FIRE : Northern Secretariat of the BC Centre of Excellence for Women's Health
- B.C. Centre of Excellence for Women's Health - Children's & Women's Hospital, Vancouver
- Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence - Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon
- National Network on Environments and Women's Health - York University, Toronto
- Centre of Excellence for Women's Health - Université de Montréal
- Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women's Health - Halifax

Related Links:

CEWH Research Bulletin
- this link takes you to the table of contents of the current issue of the bulletin (Spring 2002); down the left side of the page, you'll also find links to five earlier issues (back the the fall of 2000); in each case, you can either click on the individual sections of the bulletin to read them selectively or you can download the entire issue in PDF format.
- topics covered include : caregiving, women and health care reform, what counts and who’s counted in women’s health research, women with disabilities, Aboriginal women's health issues, midwifery, diversity and more...

The Canadian Women's Health Network
"The Canadian Women's Health Network (CWHN) was officially launched in May, 1993 by women representing over 70 organizations from every province and territory. Based on the visions, hopes and needs of women working in the women's health movement, the CWHN emerged from the generous dedication of health care workers, educators, advocates, consumers and other Canadians committed to sharing information, resources and strategies to better women's health."
- incl. links to : Network Magazine - Women's Health Topics - Women's Health Databases - Women's Health Links - Centres of Excellence for Women's Health - Brigit's Notes - About CWHN - Text Index - What's Hot - Health Links - What's New - français

What's new from the Canadian Women's Health Network:

Network magazine
Spring/Summer - Volume 10, Number 2
June 2008
HTML version
PDF version (1.8MB, 36 pages)

Feature articles:
* Editor's Note
* Feeling the heat: Women's health in a changing climate
* Evidence for caution: Women and statin use
* The HPV vaccine, one year later
* Charter challenge on drugs ads: A challenge in the wrong direction
* Labels, laws and access to health care: How history affects health-care access for First Nations and Métis women
* Cherchez la femme in minority francophone communities
* Barbara Seaman (1935-2008): Pioneer in the women's health movement
* Status positive: Supporting women immigrants and refugees with HIV/AIDS
* 'Women CARE' in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
* Highs & lows: Canadian perspectives on women and substance use
-- and much more!

[ Archive of back issues ]

See also:

Brigit's Notes: Women's Health E-bulletin
Brigit's Notes is a monthly electronic bulletin that's full of great women's health news.

Source:
Canadian Women's Health Network (CWHN)
The Canadian Women's Health Network was created in 1993 as a voluntary national bilingual organization to improve the health and lives of girls and women in Canada and the world by collecting, producing, distributing and sharing knowledge, ideas, education, information, resources, strategies and inspirations.

CWHN Partners:

* Centres of Excellence for Women's Health

* CBRN Research & Technology Initiative

* Women and Health Protection

* Women and Health Care Reform

Subscribe to receive the E-bulletin by email

---------------------------

Network online magazine - latest issue (Spring/Summer 2007)
Table of contents:
* Editor's Note
* Aboriginal women too often the victims of racialized, sexualized violence
* Memorials for women across Canada
* The Global Women's Memorial Website
* Violence prevention is a public health issue
*The Children's Fitness Tax Credit: Less than meets the eye
* Poor health and economic insecurity are realities for female unpaid caregivers
* Recommended resources
* more...

Back issues of Network magazine (links to several hundred articles going back to 1996)

---------------------------

Version française:

Le bloc-notes de Brigit : Babillard électronique
Dernière édition
Abonnement au bulletin par courriel

Le Réseau - dernier numéro
Anciens numéros de la revue Le Réseau (jusqu'à 1996)

Source:
Réseau canadien pour la santé des femmes

Primary Health Care Reform and Women (PDF file - 423K, 24 pages)
September 2005
"Given that women are both the majority of the users of the health care system and the majority of health care providers, how can reforms be made to work for all women — no matter where they live, what their income levels, education, language or health issue, sexual orientation or level of physical disability? (...)
Examines the debates about primary health care reforms and their impact on women and their health. Argues that these reforms are really about women’s work even though women are not the ones making most of the decisions."
Source:
National Coordinating Group on Health Care Reform and Women
[ Centres of Excellence for Women's Health ]
and
[ Canadian Women's Health Network ]
[ funded by Health Canada's Bureau of Women's Health and Gender Analysis ]

- Go to the Canadian Government Sites about Women's Social Issues page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/women.htm

United States/International
[The links below are in reverse chronological order]

Measuring disparities in health status and in
access and use of health care in OECD countries (PDF - 514K, 55 pages)
March 9, 2009
[incl. Canada]
By Michael de Looper and Gaetan Lafortune
This paper assesses the availability and comparability of selected indicators of inequality in health status and in health care access and use across OECD countries, focussing on disparities among socioeconomic groups. These indicators are illustrated using national or cross-national data sources to stratify populations by income, education or occupation level. In each case, people in lower socioeconomic groups tend to have a higher rate of disease, disability and death, use less preventive and specialist health services than expected on the basis of their need, and for certain goods and services may be required to pay a proportionately higher share of their income to do so.
Source:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Measuring disparities in health status and in
access and use of health care in OECD countries (PDF - 514K, 55 pages)
[incl. Canada]
March 9, 2009
By Michael de Looper and Gaetan Lafortune
This paper assesses the availability and comparability of selected indicators of inequality in health status and in health care access and use across OECD countries, focussing on disparities among socioeconomic groups. These indicators are illustrated using national or cross-national data sources to stratify populations by income, education or occupation level. In each case, people in lower socioeconomic groups tend to have a higher rate of disease, disability and death, use less preventive and specialist health services than expected on the basis of their need, and for certain goods and services may be required to pay a proportionately higher share of their income to do so.
Source:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What's New from The Daily [Statistics Canada]:

Health at a glance 2007: OECD indicators
November 15, 2007
Progress in the prevention and treatment of diseases has contributed to remarkable improvements in life expectancy and quality of life in OECD countries in recent decades. At the same time, spending on health care continues to climb, consuming an ever-increasing share of national income: health expenditure now accounts for 9% of GDP on average in OECD countries, up from just over 5% in 1970.
Source:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Challenges in health and health care for Australia
By Bruce K Armstrong, James A Gillespie, Stephen R Leeder, George L Rubin and Lesley M Russell
The Medical Journal of Australia
Posted 13-11-2007
Our health system is stretched by an ageing population, the growing burden of chronic illness, and the increasingly outmoded organisation of our health services. Inequalities in health between our most and least advantaged citizens persist, and are the sentinels that remind us that there is no room for complacency, or for inertia in reforming our health care system.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael Moore and National Health Care: Lies of the Left and the Right
Posted August 7, 2007
In Moore's film the first president Bush is seen dismissing the idea of socialized medicine, remarking that if you think it could work, "Ask a Canadian." The fact is that while many Canadians have criticisms of their health care system, almost none would choose a U.S.-style, for-profit system. They would laugh at the idea that it would work better for them.
Source:
Huffington Post (U.S.)

Related links:

SiCKO - the official movie website

MichaelMoore.com - includes "SiCKO Factual Backup"

SiCKO - from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Medicaid Resource Book
This reference book describes four pivotal aspects of how the Medicaid program operates -- who it covers, what it covers, how it is financed, and how it is administered. It was written to assist the public and policymakers in understanding the structure and operation of the Medicaid program.
Table of Contents : * Medicaid Eligibility * Medicaid Benefits * Medicaid Financing * Medicaid Administration * Medicaid Glossary * Appendix 1: Medicaid Legislative History, 1965-2000 * Appendix 2: Index to Medicaid Statute * Appendix 3: Index to Medicaid Regulations * Appendix 4: Selected Resources from KCMU * Appendix 5: Selected Internet Medicaid Resources

Source:
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and The Uninsured
[ Kaiser Family Foundation ]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Snapshots: Health Care Costs
This is "a series of online publications ... that use charts, data and analysis to provide insight into the political and policy debates about the cost of health care in the United States." Some of the topics include out-of-pocket spending for health care, insurance premium cost-sharing and coverage take-up, health care spending in the U.S. compared with other countries, and effect of changes in medical technology on health care costs.
Source:
Kaiser Family Foundation
Reviewed in:
New this Week
[New This Week Archive - links to weekly issues back to October 2005]
[ Librarians' Internet Index ]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pew Center on the States: Special Report on Medicaid 2006
Bridging the Gap Between Care and Cost (U.S.)
This special report on Medicaid, by the Pew Center on the States, seeks to analyze the real-world experiences of states, highlight examples of what works and what doesn't, and inform a crucial policy debate that will affect the lives of millions of Americans.
- incl. links to the Complete report (PDF file - 292K, 24 pages) and to a table of contents (copied below) with links to the individual chapters in HTML.
Table of contents:
Overview
* The Great Debate Medicaid in the eye of the storm
* The Challenge of Change Balancing cost controls with the health of millions
The States at Work
* Long-term care Medicaid's Third Rail
* Prescription drugs The Rx Factor: Controlling prescription drug costs
* Technology The Great eHealth Hope: How technology can help
* Cost sharing Something of Value: Experiments in cost sharing
* Management Tools to Live By: Managing for better performance
* Private insurance Trading Places: Tapping into private insurance
* Reform The Radical Reformers: A new approach
* About the Report
* Related Resources - Links to over 800 reports from the 50 states pertaining to Medicaid and related health issues. These reports were published in 2004 and 2005 and come from many different sources, including auditors, legislatures, a wide variety of state agencies and research organizations. Resources can be browsed by state or topic.

News Release:

Pew Center on the States Examines State Innovation in Medicaid Policy
January 1, 2006
(Philadelphia, PA) - All 50 states are experimenting with new ways to try to rein in Medicaid costs. While these approaches may save money, they could limit the program's capacity to provide vital health care to the nearly 60 million Americans who depend on it. Which reforms have been most effective? What may be the unintended consequences of reforms to Medicaid? The Pew Center on the States, a division of The Pew Charitable Trusts, today issued its first state policy report, Special Report on Medicaid: Bridging the Gap Between Care and Cost, which analyzes how state Medicaid programs are wrestling with rising costs and highlights examples of which innovations are working, which are not, and why.

Source:
Pew Center on the States
"The Pew Center conducts highly credible research, brings together diverse perspectives, analyzes states' experiences to determine what works and what doesn't, and collaborates with other funders and organizations to shine a spotlight on nonpartisan, pragmatic solutions."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Global Health Watch 2005-2006
"Global Health Watch 2005-2006 is a collaboration of public health experts, non-governmental organizations, community groups, health workers and academics. It presents a hard-hitting assessment of inequalities in health and health care – and is aimed at challenging the major institutions, such as the World Health Organization, that influence health."
- use the links near the top of the page to download the report as one large file or individual chapters

Global Health Action 2005-2006 (PDF file - 2MB, 24 pages)
"Global Health Action is a campaign tool based on the first Global Health Watch, published in July 2005.

Source:
Global Health Watch
"... a broad collaboration of public health experts, non-governmental organizations, civil society activists, community groups, health workers and academics. It was initiated by the People’s Health Movement, Global Equity Gauge Alliance and Medact."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cover The Uninsured Week - U.S.
May 1-8, 2005
"Today, 45 million Americans have no health insurance, including more than 8 million children. Eight out of 10 uninsured Americans either work or are in working families. Being uninsured means going without needed care..."
Cover The Uninsured Week is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Who's Involved - Former Presidents Ford and Carter are again serving as Honorary Co-Chairs for Cover the Uninsured Week...

Source:
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change.

Research on U.S. Health Insurance Coverage - links to reports, journal articles and books on health insurance coverage in the U.S. from 1999 to 2005

Related Canadian Links:

Conservative vets offer a new vision
Manning and Harris propose scrapping Canada Health Act, rebuilding U.S. relations
CanWest News Service
April 14, 2005
"OTTAWA - Preston Manning and Mike Harris, two prominent Conservatives, have sketched a vision for Canada that includes a new customs agreement with the United States and a dramatically revamped health care system. The two former politicians released a report yesterday that also calls for a tight rein on government spending and deep tax cuts as part of a strategy they say is aimed at giving Canada the highest quality of life in the world."
Source:
The National Post

Executive Summary + link to the complete report
Source:
The Fraser Institute

Commentary:
Two former American presidents, one a Democrat and the other a Republican, are co-chairing Cover the Uninsured Week in the U.S., a national initiative to encourage "individuals and organizations from every sector of society to join together to tell our leaders that health care coverage for all Americans must be their top priority."
And here in Canada, we have one former provincial Premier and one former federal Opposition leader proposing to "scrap the Health Act."
As Keith Banting said in 1995 to the Parliamentary Committee studying the Canada Health and Social Transfer (which was to take effect in April of 1996) and its impact on Canadian society, "those of us who have recently visited large American cities may well have seen our future."
Forty-five million Americans have *no* health insurance coverage, and millions more are not covered for the full year.
The Institute of Medicine estimates that 18,000 Americans die each year because they don’t have health coverage.
Duh.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

America's Health: State Health Rankings - 2004 Edition
- incl. links to : Intro and Findings (Foreword and Introduction, Measures of Success, 2004 Results, Changes from 2003, 1990, Comparison to Other Nations) - Components - State Snapshots - Methodology - Commentaries and Special Features - Appendices (Occupational Fatalities, Health Disparity, Index of Tables [total of 37 tables])

Source:
State Health Rankings Home Page
[ United Health Foundation ]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Health Care Insurance in the U.S.:

Healthcare and Insurance
Health care plans, health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield. Find information on healthcare.

Medicare, Medicaid, Differences and Similarities
Information on Medicare and Medicaid, learn about differences, health insurance, health care, plans.

Health Care and Medical Plans
Find information on healthcare, health care plans, different types of health insurance.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Social determinants of health. The solid facts
Edited by Richard Wilkinson and Michael Marmot
October 2003
"(...) This publication examines this social gradient in health, and explains how psychological and social influences affect physical health and longevity. It then looks at what is known about the most important social determinants of health today, and the role that public policy can play in shaping a social environment that is more conducive to better health."
- incl. the following determinants: The social gradient - Stress - Early life - Social exclusion - Work - Unemployment - Social support - Addiction - Food - Transport
Brief Intro + ordering info + link to free online report
Complete report (PDF file - 474K, 33 pages)
Source:
World Health Organization
Regional Office for Europe

Health at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2003
October 2003
"...brings together the latest comparable data and trends concerning health status and risks, the activity and resources of health care systems, as well as health expenditure and financing across the 30 OECD countries. It contains a larger set of indicators than the previous edition. Overall, more than 30 indicators are presented.
NOTE: You have to purchase the book OECD Health Data 2003 (available on line at SourceOECD or on CD-ROM from the OECD’s online bookshop) for the detailed data
- incl. free info about Canada (among other countries) in country reports and eight charts covering a range of topics, from health expenditure as a percentage of GDP (2001) and health expenditure by source of funding (2000) to acute care beds per 1000 population (2000) and increasing obesity rates among the adult population...
OECD Health Data 2003 - Frequently asked data - 20 tables to " offer a sample of variables that can be found in OECD Health Data 2003, including data from the 1st Internet update (July 9, 2003).
- incl. country comparisons of life expectancy, infant mortality, expenditures on health, acute care beds / hospital discharges per 1000 population, alcohol and tobacco consumption, % of population 65 years old and over, and more...
Health at a Glance – OECD Indicators 2003 Briefing note (Canada) - October 2003 (PDF file - 20K, 3 pages)
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

State Health Facts Online (U.S.)
"Provided by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts discloses important health and health policy information for all fifty states and US territories. Data are divided into ten categories -- demographics and the economy, health status, health coverage and uninsured, medicaid and CHIP, medicare, health costs and budgets, managed care and health insurance, providers and service use, women's health, minority health, and HIV/ AIDS -- and are displayed as tables, rankings, graphs, or color-coded maps. Users may access individual state profiles and then compare them to other states, or the US as a whole. Also available is a complete list of all the categories, subcategories, and topics that are available on the State Health Facts Online site; links to over 40 Kaiser Family Foundation reports and related resources; a glossary; methodology; and contact information."
Reviewed by The Scout Report (July 19, 2002)
Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2002
Related Link:
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

National Institutes of Health (NICHD) - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) seeks to assure that every individual is born healthy, is born wanted, and has the opportunity to fulfill his or her potential for a healthy and productive life unhampered by disease or disability. In pursuit of this mission, the NICHD conducts and supports laboratory, clinical, and epidemiological research on the reproductive, neurobiologic, developmental, and behavioral processes that determine and maintain the health of children, adults, families, and populations.
See the impressive list of almost 40 Institutes, Centers and Offices attached to the NICHD - you'll find links to health information covering a wide range of topics such as cancer, genome research, alcohol and drug abuse, mental health, nursing research, global health, and much more.
Here are links to just two of the institutes of the NICHD:
National Institute of Aging (NIA)
The National Institute on Aging is a component of the NICHD that is devoted to improving the health of older people.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
NICHD research on fertility, pregnancy, growth, development, and medical rehabilitation strives to ensure that every child is born healthy and wanted and grows up free from disease and disability.

"Measuring Up"- Improving Health Systems Performance in OECD Countries
OECD Health Conference on Performance Measurement and Reporting
5-7 November 2001, The Westin Hotel, Ottawa, Canada
- incl. links to conference programme - abstracts - speaker biographies - list of participants - registration - info fair - participants information - media information - related sites

The 2000 Green Book of Entitlement Programs
Background Material and Data on Programs within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means
October 2000 
By the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
The Green Book consists of background material and data on programs within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means of the U.S. House of Representatives. It is compiled by the staff of the Committee from many sources and it provides program descriptions and historical data on a wide variety of social and economic topics, including Social Security, employment, earnings, welfare, child support, health insurance, disability, the elderly, families with children, national and international health care expenditures and health insurance coverage, poverty and taxation. It has become a standard reference work for those interested in the direction of social policy in the United States.
Source : Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) (principal advisor to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services)

Social Statistics Briefing Room - U.S.
Here you will find the most recent statistics on:
- Crime
- Demographics
- Education
- Health

International Reform Monitor (from the Bertelsmann Foundation [see below]- Europe)
This Bertelsmann Foundation website gives a wide range of well-selected information on social policy (health care, pensions provision, family policy, state welfare), labour market policy and industrial relations in 15 OECD countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States of America.

The Bertelsmann Foundation (Europe)
Working on more than 180 projects (as of December 2000) in the fields of Economics, State and Public Administration, Media, Politics, Public Libraries, Medicine and Health Service, Philanthropy and Foundations, Culture and Universities, the Bertelsmann Foundation wants to help solve current social problems.
- See the Bertelsmann Foundation sitemap for an overview of what you'll find on this large site.

Tackling Inequalities: 10 Years On
A review of developments in tackling health inequalities in England over the last 10 years
May 7, 2009
Tackling Health Inequalities: 10 Years On examines the changes in policies, determinants and outcomes that have shaped health inequalities in England over the last 10 years and sets out the key lessons and challenges. It provides the context and background for the recently announced post-2010 strategic review of health inequalities commissioned to look forward to 2020 and beyond."
NOTE - to access the complete report (PDF - 3.8MB),
click the link above and, on the next page that opens, click the download link at the bottom of the text box.

Source:
United Kingdom Department of Health
[ Found in a Blog posting by nimira
from The Wellesley Institute ]

Related link:

Government Response to The Health Select Committee Report on Health Inequalities
U.K. Department of Health
22 May 2009
This Government response addresses, in turn, the individual conclusions and recommendations of the Committee’s report. (...) It acknowledges that there is still much to learn and that this learning – including through evidence, audit and evaluation – will continue to inform the development of our approach now and in the future.
NOTE - to access the complete report(PDF - 1.1MB),
click the link above and, on the next page that opens, click the download link at the bottom of the text box.

More reports on health inequalities in England - from the Department of Health

World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

Inequities are killing people on a "grand scale"
28 August 2008 -- Differences in mortality between - and within - countries result from the social environment where people are born, live, grow, work and age. These "social determinants of health" have been the focus of a three-year investigation. The recommendations from this investigation, released today, focus on policies to redress social equalities globally, nationally and locally.

Final Report of the
Commission on Social Determinants of Health (main page)
- includes links to the news release, backgrounders, the executive summary in six languages, links to the complete report and individual chapters, streaming video of the news conference and an interview with the chair of the Commission about the report

Closing the gap in a generation : Health equity
through action on the social determinants of health
Executive summary (PDF - 4.3MB,
Complete report (PDF - 7.3MB, 256 pages)
NOTE: See "The report in sections" on the main page for links to the individual chapters of the report in PDF format

News Release - August 28, 2008

Other publications of the
Commission on Social Determinants of Health

Related links:

The Commission on Social Determinants of Health - what, why and how?
The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) is a global network of policy makers, researchers and civil society organizations1 brought together by the World Health Organization (WHO) to give support in tackling the social causes of poor health and avoidable health inequalities (health inequities).

NOTE: One the Commission members is Monique Bégin, currently Professor at the School of Management, University of Ottawa, Canada, and former Minister of National Health and Welfare.
On the Comments from Commissioners page, Madame Bégin notes: "Canada likes to brag that for seven years in a row the United Nations voted us "the best country in the world in which to live". Do all Canadians share equally in that great quality of life? No they don't. The truth is that our country is so wealthy that it manages to mask the reality of food banks in our cities, of unacceptable housing (1 in 5), of young Inuit adults very high suicide rates. This report is a wake up call for action towards truly living up to our reputation."

---------------------------------

World Health Organization: The Department of Gender, Women and Health
The World Health Organization’s Department of Gender, Women and Health (GWH) “brings attention to the ways in which biological and social differences between women and men affect health and the steps needed to achieve health equity.” On their homepage, visitors can look at the right-hand side to get quick information about upcoming events sponsored by the GWH, read their monthly update, and also click on a link that will take them to the latest publications from the GWH team. On the left-hand side of the page, visitors can learn more about some of their specific areas of interest, including work on gender-based violence, gender and HIV/AIDS, and gender mainstreaming. Additionally, the “Gender and other health topics” area includes information sheets on gender and blindness, gender and mental health, as well as many other topics.
Review by:
The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2007

RxList - The Internet Drug Index

 

CANADIAN SOCIAL RESEARCH LINKS HOME PAGE

PAGE D'ACCUEIL - SITES DE RECHERCHE SOCIALE AU CANADA

---

Search the Web Search Canadian Social Research Links Only

TIP: How to Search for a Word or Expression on a Single Web Page  Open any web page in your browser, then hold down the Control ("Ctrl") key on your keyboard and type the letter F to open a "Find" window. Type or paste in a key word or expression and hit Enter - your browser will go directly to the first occurrence of that word (or those exact words, as the case may be). To continue searching using the same keyword(s) throughout the rest of the page, keep clicking on the FIND NEXT button. Try it. It's a great time-saver!

Site created and maintained by:
Gilles Séguin (This link takes you to my personal page)

E-MAIL: gilseg@rogers.com