|
The Atlas of Canada is not a health atlas. It cannot show the full
scope of maps that might be relevant to the geography of health
in Canada. However, by focusing on health indicators, it is possible
to provide a systematic coverage of a number of themes that are
illustrative of the interests and concerns of Canadians.
What is Health?
In the past, health was mostly understood as the converse of disease
or infirmity. In other words, health exists when disease or infirmity
is absent. That assessment of health was reflected in such commonly
used measures as mortality rate, infant mortality rate, morbidity
rate, and many others of a similar nature. For example, the lower
the infant mortality rate the healthier the population.
However, almost half a century ago, the World Health Organization
(WHO) adopted a new approach by describing health as a state of
complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely
the absence of disease or infirmity.
In Canada, that approach has been expanded upon and has evolved
into today's emphasis on population health - the recognition that
health is an asset, "a resource for everyday living" (Federal
Provincial and Territorial Advisory Committee on Population Health,
1997). Now, the term "health" is closely related to other
concepts such as "well-being" and "quality of life"
and is "influenced by social, economic and physical environments,
personal health practices, individual capacity and coping skills,
human biology, early childhood development, and health services"
(Federal Provincial and Territorial Advisory Committee on Population
Health, 1997).
The WHO definition and the development of the population health
model in Canada has the merit of drawing attention to the multi-dimensional
nature of health and has moved beyond the pathology-based medical
model toward a more holistic model of health. The former focuses
almost exclusively on biological determinants of health while the
latter expands those determinants to include non-medical factors
that influence health, such as one's physical, social and economic
environment.
This new perspective may have been inspired by the fact that mortality
rates in the industrialized world have declined sharply in the 20th
century. As a result, the conventional mortality/morbidity measures
of health are no longer adequate. A great many more measures or
health indicators are now necessary to address the complexity of
health.
Health Indicators
The broadening of the definition of health has been accompanied
by a proliferation of the measures or indicators of health. Generally
speaking, a health indicator is a quantitative or qualitative measure
that describes the state of health or a factor which influences
the health of a population or a community.
All or most of the following characterize a "good" health
indicator. It must:
- be measurable
- have credibility and validity
- be based on data that are relatively easy and economical to
collect
- be understandable
- be capable of providing information either for geographically
defined communities or for clearly defined (sub)populations
Health indicators can be used to:
- act as yardsticks for spatial and/or temporal comparisons
- help assess health conditions
- provide evidence to support health programs and policies
- provide clear statements of the starting point and desired end
point of any intervention
- identify levels of and gaps in health and well-being of a population
or community
The health of Canadians is illustrated in the Atlas of Canada by
providing examples of health indicators organized under the following
headings:
- Health Status
- Non-medical Determinants of Health
- Health Behaviours
- Health Resources
- Health Services Utilization
- Rural Health
These categories of health indicators should not be viewed as if
they were mutually exclusive. For example, utilization of services
influences the provision of health resources just as the provision
of resources will influence utilization. Similarly, health status
may be dependent on any or all of the health indicators found within
the other four categories.
|
Health matters! It is of concern to governments at all levels, families and individuals.