Description | Specific Indicators | Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS)| Corresponding Health Indicator(s) from Statistics Canada and CIHI | Corresponding Indicator(s) from Other Sources | Data Sources |  Survey Questions |Alternative Data Sources | Analysis Check List | Method of Calculation |  Basic Categories | Indicator Comments | Definitions| Cross-References to Other Indicators | Cited References | Other References  | Changes Made | Acknowledgements

Indicator Currently Under Development

•  Number of jobs per number of residents in a geographic area

•  Job density

The Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS) establish requirements for the fundamental public health programs and services carried out by boards of health, which include assessment and surveillance, health promotion and policy development, disease and injury prevention, and health protection. The OPHS consist of one Foundational Standard and 13 Program Standards that articulate broad societal goals that result from the activities undertaken by boards of health and many others, including community partners, non-governmental organizations, and governmental bodies. These results have been expressed in terms of two levels of outcomes: societal outcomes and board of health outcomes. Societal outcomes entail changes in health status, organizations, systems, norms, policies, environments, and practices and result from the work of many sectors of society, including boards of health, for the improvement of the overall health of the population. Board of health outcomes are the results of endeavours by boards of health and often focus on changes in awareness, knowledge, attitudes, skills, practices, environments, and policies. Boards of health are accountable for these outcomes. The standards also outline the requirements that boards of health must implement to achieve the stated results.

• Board of Health Outcome (Chronic Disease Prevention): There is increased awareness among community partners about the factors associated with chronic diseases that are required to inform program planning and policy development, including the following: the importance of creating healthy environments.

• The board of health shall work with municipalities to support healthy public policies and the creation or enhancement of supportive environments in recreational settings and the built environment... 

• Board of Health Outcome (Foundational Standard): The board of health shall conduct surveillance, including the ongoing collection, collation, analysis, and periodic reporting of population health indicators, as required by the Health Protection and Promotion Act and in accordance with the Population Health Assessment and Surveillance Protocol, 2008 (or as current, which includes population health data and information pertaining to physical environmental factors).

http://www.ontario.ca/publichealthstandards

•  Employment density

http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-561/tables-tableaux-notes-eng.cfm

See sample maps for distribution of the employed labour force by place of work or place of residence 2006 Census Tracts (CTs) under ‘Set 2 - Place of work and residence in central neighbourhoods'.

•  None
  
  

Numerator: Census of Canada: Employed (in the labour force)
Original source: Statistics Canada
Distributed by: Statistics Canada
Suggested citation (see Data Citation Notes): Census Tract Profiles [year], Census [year], Statistics Canada, Date Extracted: [date].

Denominator: Census of Canada: Population Estimates
Original source: Statistics Canada
Distributed by: Statistics Canada
Suggested citation (see Data Citation Notes): Census Tract Profiles [year], Census [year], Statistics Canada, Date Extracted: [date].

•  None

•  None
  

• Statistics Canada Census Tract Profiles, Employed (in the labour force) and Population Estimates,  are available at http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-597/index.cfm?lang=E .
• Use one of the three options:
1. Find census tract data using a postal code
2. Find census tract data using GeoSearch2006
3. Find census tract data using a CMA/CA code and census tract name
• For Employed (in the labour force): in ‘Select a view', choose ‘All data', and browse to the section of ‘Labour force activity'. View ‘Employed'.
• For Population Estimates:  in ‘Select a view', choose ‘All data', and browse to the section of ‘Population and dwelling counts'. View ‘Population in [year of interest]'.
  
  

• Geographic areas: public health unit, census division, census sub-division, municipality, census tract
  
  

• The manner in which the built environment impacts health outcomes is complex and varied, since human behaviour is influenced by multiple factors. The value of an individual indicator is strengthened when considered in combination with other built environment indicators. A range of built environment indicators, such as population density, proximity to community focal point, land use mix and job density, can be used to better appreciate the relationships among the built environment, health outcomes and health behaviours within your region.
• The job/resident ratio recommended as the APHEO Core Indicator for Job Density was selected as the primary indicator (1). The premise of this indicator is that areas that have close to an equal number of jobs and households will be associated with shorter travel time and distance for journey to work (2).
• It is recommended to use dissemination areas (DA) or census sub-division (CSD) for level of geography as census tracts (CT) are mainly used in urban areas. However, dependent upon data availability and purpose of analysis, other levels of geography can also be used.
• The job/resident ratio indicator may under-estimate the number of jobs within a geographic area.
• Please refer to the Alternate Measures of Job Density resource for a description of proposed indicators that measure ‘job density' and rationale for excluding these measures from APHEO Core Indicator.

• Employed (in the labour force): Persons 15 years and over, excluding institutional residents, who, during the week (Sunday to Saturday) prior to Census Day: (a) did any work at all for pay or in self-employment or without pay in a family farm, business or professional practice; or (b) were absent from their job or business, with or without pay, for the entire week because of vacation, an illness, a labour dispute at their place of work, or any other reasons (3).
• Census metropolitan area (CMA): Area consisting of one or more neighbouring municipalities situated around a major urban core (3).
• Census division (CD): Second-level census geographic unit, below provinces and territories, and above "census subdivisions" and "dissemination areas". In provinces where they exist, the census division may correspond to a county, a regional municipality or a regional district (3).
• Census subdivision (CSD): A municipality or an area that is deemed to be equivalent to a municipality for statistical reporting purposes (e.g., as an Indian reserve or an unorganized territory). Municipal status is defined by laws in effect in each province and territory in Canada (3).
• Census tract (CT): Small, relatively stable geographic areas that usually have a population of 2,500 to 8,000. They are divided into dissemination areas (3).
  
  

• Population Density (Section 2C: Built Environment and Health)
• Land Use Mix (Section 2C: Built Environment and Health)
• Proximity to Community Focal Point (Section 2C: Built Environment and Health)
  
  

1. Wells NM, Yang Y. Neighbourhood design and walking. Am J Prev Med. 2008;34(4):313-19.
2. Pivo G. Urban Form and Journey to Work Impacts of Office Suburbanization in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, 1988.
3. Statistics Canada. 2006 Census Dictionary. Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2006. Catalogue no. 92-566-XWE. Available from: http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/ref/dict/geo049-eng.cfm
   
   

1. Hess P, Sorenson A, Parizeau K. Urban density in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. University of Toronto. May 2007. Available from: http://www.urbancentre.utoronto.ca/pdfpublications/RP209_Hess_et%20al_May_2007.pdf s/(Accessed: September 8, 2011).
2. HM Government. Job Density. Available from: http://data.gov.uk/dataset/jobs_density (Accessed: October 27, 2011).
3. Curran A, Plan M. Taking the pulse of active transportation: measuring the built environment for healthy communities. December 2005. Available from: http://sp.architectureandplanning.dal.ca/spubs0506/Curran.pdf (Accessed: September 8, 2011).
4. Frank L. An Analysis of Relationships Between Urban Form (Density, Mix, and Jobs: Housing Balance) and Travel Behavior (Mode Choice, Trip Generation, Trip Length, and Travel Time). Washington State Transportation Center. July, 1994. Available from: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Research/Reports/300/351.2.htm (Accessed: Oct 12, 2011)
5. Guiliano G. "Is Jobs Housing a Transportation Issue." Achieving a Job-Housing Balance: Land Use Planning for Regional Growth. The Lincoln Institute, 1991.