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

Description

• Percentage of people in the population in a given age group and sex in a given year

Specific Indicators

• Population by Age and Sex

Ontario Public Health Standards

Assessment and/or Surveillance Requirements Related to this Indicator
The board of health shall assess current health status, health behaviours, preventive health practices, health care utilization relevant to public health, and demographic indicators in accordance with the Population Health Assessment and Surveillance Protocol, 2008 (or as current) (Foundational Standard)

Protocol Requirements Related to this Indicator
The board of health shall collect or access the following types of population health data and information: Socio-demographics including population counts by age, sex… (Population Health Assessment and Surveillance Protocol, 1b)

http://www.ontario.ca/publichealthstandards

Corresponding Health Indicator(s) from Statistics Canada and CIHI

The internet publication Health Indicators, produced jointly by Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information, provides over 80 indicators measuring the health of the Canadian population and the effectiveness of the health care system. Designed to provide comparable information at the health region and provincial/territorial levels, these data are produced from a wide range of the most recently available sources. A pdf copy of this report can be found on CIHI’s website (http://www.cihi.ca) under Research and Reports or under the PDF tab on the Statistics Canada web-page at http://www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=82-221-X 

Population Estimates:
Data are derived from the census and administrative sources on births, deaths and migration. Postcensal estimates are based on the latest census results adjusted for net census undercoverage and for the estimated population growth that occurred since that census. More information about the data can be obtained in the Beyond 20/20 (IVT) file by selecting “File>Summary” or by browsing the footnotes below a retrieved CANSIM table. 

Individual data tables can be found at:http://www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=82-221-X
Click on "View" beside Free on the row labeled, Latest issue.
Click on "Data tables, maps and fact sheets" on the left side menu.
Click on the indicator "Population estimates" under Community and health system characteristics, Community

Select either a CANSIM for an html rendered table or IVT to view a Beyond 20/20 file.

Population Estimates: PHU, County, and Municipality Level   

Alternative Data Source(s)

• Statistics Canada CANSIM tables (Population and Demography)
• Statistics Canada Community Profiles

Analysis Check List

• Use “Population Estimates PHU Municipality” pre-defined report from “02 Populations” shared folder in IntelliHEALTH Ontario if you wish to have counts based on PHU or Municipality (Census Subdivision) boundaries. Use “Population Estimates and Projections LHIN v2” pre-defined report from “02 Populations” shared folder in IntelliHEALTH Ontario if you wish to have counts based on LHIN boundaries.
• To view population estimates by county (which is generally equivalent to PHU for Southern Ontario health units, but varies considerably for Northern Ontario health units), change the geography parameter in the query. You may also change the filter applied to the report to view years previous to 1999 (data currently available from 1986 – onwards).

• For future population by age and sex, use the Population Projections data source.

• For more details about the methodology and assumptions in the calculation in the measures that are used in this indicator, refer to the data sources resources.  

Method of Calculation

Basic Categories

• Age groupings available in pre-defined reports are: infant (<1 year), 5-year age groups, 90+. Age groups can be drilled down to single year of age. 
• Sex: male, female and total
• Geographic areas of residence: province (sum of municipalities or health units), public health unit, census subdivision (municipality), county and LHIN.

Indicator Comments

• The tables provided for estimates at the PHU, county and municipality level in IntelliHEALTH Ontario are produced from population estimates by single year of age (up to 90+) and sex for Ontario’s Census Subdivisions as of July 1 for each year. They are produced by the Demography Division of Statistics Canada, and are based on census counts adjusted for net undercoverage. The document “Methodology Postcensal Estimates of Census Subdivision Population by Age and Sex” describes the methodology used by Statistics Canada.
• Totals by LHIN, age and sex derived from IntelliHEALTH may not correspond exactly to totals from the original MOF spreadsheets because of rounding of the single year by gender populations.
• Statistics Canada does not identify intersexed or transgendered in the Census or in the Population Estimates. The census questionnaire only asks Male or Female—there is no place to answer Other. If someone does not fill out the question, they get imputed to one or the other by Statistics Canada during Edit and Imputation processing. It is estimated that 1 in 100 babies in the U.S. are born with bodies that differ from standard ‘male’ and ‘female.’ (1)
• IntelliHEALTH users should be aware that the PHU, county and population estimates are derived from the municipalities (CSDs) that Statistics Canada used in the various Censuses. Since there is not a one-to-one match with the municipalities of the Ministry’s Residence Coding system (used to assign public health unit geography), care should be taken when interpreting the populations of some smaller municipalities, especially in the unorganized areas in the North. More information about the correspondence between CSDs and MOHLTC residence codes used to map the population estimates is available from the Health Data and Decision Support Unit, MOHLTC.
• Where there have been changes in political boundaries over time, the historic data within the data source has been modified to reflect the current boundaries. This may cause differences in counts within areas where boundaries have changed when comparing with reports done prior to boundary changes.

• Population Projections

Cited References

1. Blackless, Melanie, Anthony Charuvastra, Amanda Derryck, Anne Fausto-Sterling, Karl Lauzanne, and Ellen Lee. 2000. How sexually dimorphic are we? Review and synthesis. American Journal of Human Biology 12:151-166.

Acknowledgements

Lead Author(s)
Nancy Ramuscak, Region of Peel Public Health
Cam McDermaid, Ottawa Public Health
Luanne Jamieson, Hamilton Public Health Services
Virginia McFarland, Grey Bruce Health Unit
Alissa Palangio, Sudbury and District Health Unit
William Kou, York Region Community and Health Services 

Contributing Author(s)
Core Indicator Reviewers
External Reviewers
Carol Paul, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
Jessica Deming, Region of Waterloo Public Health
Mike Delorme, Region of Waterloo Public Health

Date of Last Revision: April 8, 2011