Population Study

The Population Study focuses on the very base of the reporting pyramid - the community. It provides key information on the magnitude and burden of acute gastrointestinal illness in the general population. Since only a small fraction of people with acute gastrointestinal illness in the community actually see a physician or otherwise seek health care, the Population Study is key in determining:

1. Exactly how many individuals are affected by acute gastrointestinal illness;

2. How many individuals with acute gastrointestinal illness seek medical attention;

3. The burden and associated costs of acute gastrointestinal illness in the general community.

The Population Study will be administered as a short telephone survey to randomly selected residents in communities across Canada. As the vital component of this study, residents in selected communities will be asked to provide anonymous information about symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. Residents are randomly contacted by phone, by trained professional interviewers, to participate in this short interview.

In the spring of 2001, both the population and physician studies were piloted in a southern Ontario community. Working closely with the local health authority, a 12-month, anonymous telephone survey was conducted with 3,500 randomly selected residents of the community. The final report on the pilot will be available shortly.

• Population Survey - Phase I
  23 pages, 100 KB, in PDF format 

• Population Survey - Phase II
  51 pages, 125 KB, in PDF format 

• Population Survey Publications (coming soon)

[Foodborne, Waterborne and Zoonotic Infections Division]