Description | Specific Indicators | Corresponding Mandatory Objectives | Corresponding National Indicators | Data Sources |  Alternative Data Sources | ICD Codes | Analysis Check List | Method of Calculation |  Basic Categories | Indicator Comments | Cross-References to Other Sections | References


Description

• Prevalence of good self-rated health (self-rated health = "Good", "Very Good" or "Excellent")
• Prevalence of fair or poor self-rated health (self-rated health = "Fair" or "Poor")

 
Corresponding Mandatory Objectives

• None

• Self-rated health
  http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/82-221-XIE/2005002/hlthstatus/wellbeing1.htm

Comparable Health Indicators

Comparable Health Indicator: Healthy Canadians/Self-reported health
PIRC: How Healthy Are Ontarians Now?/How Do Ontarians Feel About Their Health?

  
Data Sources (see Resources: Data Sources)

Numerator & Denominator: 1990 Ontario Health Survey (OHS)
Original source: Ontario MOHLTC
Distributed by:
Health Planning Branch, Ontario MOHLTC
Suggested citation (see Data Citation Notes):
Ontario Health Survey 1990, Health Planning Branch, Ontario MOHLTC

Numerator & Denominator: 1996/97 Ontario Health Survey (OHS)
Original source: Statistics Canada
Distributed by:
1. Health Planning Branch, Ontario MOHLTC
2. Statistics Canada
Suggested citation (see Data Citation Notes):
1. Ontario Health Survey 1996/97, Statistics Canada, Share File, Health Planning Branch, Ontario MOHLTC
2. Ontario Health Survey 1996/97, Statistics Canada, Public Use Microdata File, Statistics Canada

Numerator & Denominator: Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)
Original source: Statistics Canada
Distributed by:
1. Health Planning Branch, Ontario MOHLTC
2. Statistics Canada
Suggested citation (see Data Citation Notes):
1. Canadian Community Health Survey [year], Statistics Canada, Share File, Health Planning Branch, Ontario MOHLTC
2. Canadian Community Health Survey [year], Statistics Canada, Public Use Microdata File, Statistics Canada
 

Survey Questions

1996/97 Ontario Health Survey:
Question GH-Q1 "In general, how would you say your health is?"
Variable Name: ghc6_1

National Population Health Survey (cross-sectional and longitudinal):
Question GH-Q1 "In general, how would you say your health is?"
Variable Names:
     1994/95 (original) – gh_q1;
     1994/95 (revised) – ghc4_1;
     1996/97 – ghc6_1;
     1998/99 – ghc8_1;
     2000/01 – ghc0_1;

Canadian Community Health Survey:
Question GH_Q01 "In general, how would you say your health is?"
Variable Name: gena_01

• National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth 1994/95

Analysis Check List

• Before releasing and/or publishing these data, users should ensure that the number of sampled respondents who contributed to the estimate is at least 30, regardless of the estimate’s coefficient of variation. For estimates based on sample sizes of 30 or more, determine the coefficient of variation of the rounded weighted estimate and follow the guidelines below:
• Acceptable (0.0 - 16.5) Estimates can be considered for general unrestricted release. Requires no special notation.
• Marginal (16.6 - 33.3) Estimates can be considered for general unrestricted release but should be accompanied by a warning cautioning of high sampling variability.
• Unacceptable (greater than 33.3) Statistics Canada recommends not releasing estimates of unacceptable quality. However, if the user chooses to do so then estimates should be flagged and the following warning should accompany the estimates: "The user is advised that . . .(specify the data) . . . do not meet Statistics Canada’s quality standards for this statistical program. Conclusions based on these data will be unreliable and most likely invalid". These data and any consequent findings should not be published. If the user chooses to publish these data or findings, then this disclaimer must be published with the data.
• The release guidelines for the 1990 OHS are slightly different: No qualification (C.V. less than 16.6), Qualified estimate (C.V. of 16.6 – 25.0), Suppress estimate (C.V. greater than 25.0).

 
Method of Calculation

• Age groups: If using the ‘good self-rated health’ version of this variable, which includes approximately 85% of the population, 5-year age groups are possible. If using ‘fair or poor self-rated health’ as the indicator, larger age groups should be used to avoid small cell sizes.
• Sex: male, female.
• Geographic areas for: CCHS - all 37 Public Health Units and 16 District Health Councils in Ontario; 1996/97 OHS - 23 health areas; 1990 OHS - all 42 Public Health Units and 32 District Health Councils that existed at the time.

Indicator Comments

• Self-rated health is a global, self-assessment of an individual’s current health status that has been used since the 1950s (1). It is based on the question, "In general, how would you rate your health?" or "In general, compared with others your age, how would you rate your health?"
• On U.S. and Canadian surveys, the response choices are usually: "excellent, very good, good, fair or poor." European surveys use slightly different categories, either: "very good, good, fair, bad or very bad" or "very good, fairly good, average, fairly poor or poor." (1)
• Studies have shown that self-rated health reflects a complex process of internalized calculations that encompass both lived experience and knowledge of disease causes and consequences. (2) Those who rate their health at the lower end of the spectrum tend to focus on illness and disability, while those at the higher end also take into account health behaviour and feelings of fitness. (3) Self-rated health status is predictive of future mortality (4) and also appears to be predictive of the development of chronic conditions. (5)

• None

 
References

1. Jylha M, Guralnik JM, Ferrucci L, Jokela J and Heikkinen E. Is self-rated health comparable across cultures and genders? Journal of Gerontology: SOCIAL SCIENCES 1998;53B(3):S144-S152.
2. Shadbolt B. Some correlates of self-rated health for Australian women. American Journal of Public Health 1997;87(6):951-956.
3. Manderbacka K. Examining what self-rated health question is understood to mean by respondents. Scandinavian Journal of Social Medicine 1998;26(2):145-153.
4. Idler EL and Benyamini Y. Self-rated health and mortality: A review of twenty-seven community studies. Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 38:21-37, 1997.
5. Kopec JA, Schultz SE, Goel V and Williams JI. Can the Health Utilities Index measure change? Medical Care 39(6):562-574, June 2001.

Date of Last Revision: June 2, 2006 .