Diabetes in Canada

NATIONAL STATISTICS

Primary Data Source: National Population Health Survey

Description and Rationale

This section presents data from numerous sources, such as national survey data (e.g., National Population Health Survey 1996/97 and the Aboriginal Peoples Survey 1991) and Statistics Canada morbidity and mortality data. Because diabetes is under-represented in morbidity and mortality data, national survey data are particularly important for monitoring the health of Canadians with diabetes. The National Population Health Survey (NPHS) is the most up-to-date source for survey data on the general health of the Canadian population (with the exclusion of people living in the territories, on Indian reserves, on Canadian Forces bases, or in some remote areas of Quebec and Ontario). The NPHS was initiated in 1994/95 by Statistics Canada and will be repeated every two years. Because it is an ongoing survey with a consistent methodology, the NPHS provides comparable data over time. The NPHS provides (a) cross-sectional self-reported data on the health of Canadians every two years, and (b) longitudinal data on a representative sample of Canadians for the purpose of monitoring changes in their health since the start-up year in 1994. The NPHS has replaced the General Social Survey series of 1985 and 1991.

An earlier, important source of national data on the health of Canadians was the Canadian Heart Health Survey (CHHS) (1986-1992). The methodology of the CHHS was somewhat different from that of the NPHS (see Table 1). Therefore, comparisons between CHHS and NPHS data are inadvisable.

As noted in the introduction to this report, current data sources are insufficient for a comprehensive monitoring of the status of diabetes and its complications in the Canadian population. In the future, it is hoped that these data sources will be supplemented by ongoing accurate data from the provincial and territorial administrative databases linked with the National Diabetes Surveillance System (NDSS). The NDSS will have the added benefit of providing a means of validating NPHS self-report survey data with respect to diabetes.

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