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Frequent-visitor status for 13% of Canadians
Canadian Medical Association Journal 1997; 156; 156
Even though 62% of Canadians rated their health as excellent or very good, about 77% of adults visited a physician in 1994 and 13% of the population visited a physician 10 or more times, according to data from the 1994 National Population Health Survey. Canadian Social Trends, a quarterly publication from Statistics Canada, reported recently that the number of Canadians who consulted a physician during 1994 varied by province, ranging from 82% of Prince Edward Islanders to 70% of Quebecers. A regional variation also held true for Canadians visiting physicians 10 or more times in a year; the highest rate was in Nova Scotia (18%) and the lowest in Quebec (9%).
People who said they had 1 or more chronic conditions (the most common being allergies, back problems, arthritis and rheumatism) reported an average of 6 consultations with a physician in the previous year, compared with 3 for those who were not experiencing chronic health problems. The survey found that 77% of Canadians aged 15 and older reported using at least 1 prescription or over-the-country drug, and 15% of adults had used some form of alternative medicine, the most common being chiropractic (11%).
| CMAJ January 15, 1997 (vol 156, no 2) |