10b. Population Health Indicators: Accessing Data to Spot Differences

A health indicator is a measure that summarizes information about a specific aspect of population health or health system performance. Health indicators are essential for the evaluation of population health interventions, as they provide comparable and actionable information across different geographic, organizational, or administrative boundaries and/or can be used to track progress over time.¹ As such, population health indicators are especially useful for time series or comparative effectiveness evaluation designs.

The following video by the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) illustrates how population health indicators can guide system level planning for both population health and the delivery of health care services.

Sources for Population Health Indicators

There are a number of sources for population health indicators you can draw upon when planning an evaluation. These include:

WHO Global Health Indicators

The World Health Organization compiles nation-level data for a range of population health indicators, including life expectancy at birth, cause-specific mortality and morbidity, reported cases of selected infectious diseases, health service coverage, and selected risk factors for disease.

• A report on these key indicators as of 2015 is available at World Health Statistics 2015: Part II: Global health indicators (PDF)

Public Health Agency of Canada Chronic Disease Indicator Framework

This framework includes a core set of chronic disease indicators and specific measures, grouped into six core domains: social and environmental determinants, early life/childhood risk and protective factors, behavioural risk and protective factors, risk conditions, disease prevention practices, and health outcomes/status. The framework is updated annually.

• Canadian Chronic Disease Indicators

Statistics Canada/Canadian Institute for Health Information Health Indicators Framework

This framework consists of 80 indicators measuring health status, non-medical determinants of health, health system performance, and characteristics of communities and health systems.

The indicators are available at the health region level, as well as provincial, territorial, and national levels. Data used to calculate the indicators are the most recently available and represent a wide range of sources including census data, surveys, and administrative records.

• Health Indicators Framework

Pan-Canadian Public Health Network Indicators of Health Inequalities

This report presents a proposed set of pan-Canadian indicators that can be used to measure and report on inequalities in health and in key determinants of health in Canada. 

• Indicators of Health Inequalities (PDF)

Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada: Community Well-Being (CWB) Index

The community well-being (CWB) index comprises indicators of socio-economic well-being, including education, labour force activity, income, and housing, were derived from Statistics Canada’s Census of Population and combined to give each community a well-being “score.” These scores are used to compare well-being across Indigenous communities with well-being in other Canadian communities over time.

• The Community Well-Being (CWB) Index

Federation of Canadian Municipalities Quality of Life Reporting System

The Quality of life reporting system report series highlights key population health, social, economic, and environmental indicators in 27 municipalities and urban regions that collectively account for more than half of Canada’s population, and include many of Canada’s largest urban and suburban centres.

• Highlights Report 2004: Quality of Life in Canadian Municipalities