5.1 Health Status Report

Health status reports are a way to report the health state for a population and the factors that influence a population’s health. Information from health status reports are used to inform policy, planning, and resource allocation.

Using the Project Big Life Planning Tool you can replicate or update existing health status reports e.g. Public Health Ontario’s: Seven More Years Report or generate a new health status report.

In this example we will show you how to create some health statistics to include in your health report. We will calculate:

  • The predicted number of deaths by strata (e.g. by sex [males and females])
  • The impact of eliminating unhealthy behaviours on life expectancy

For this example we will focus on the population of Alberta.

5.1.1 Predicted number of deaths stratified by sex and level of education

By showing the number of deaths by strata, the reader can see the distribution of deaths across specific population characteristics. Any categorical variable can be used for stratification but in this example we will use sex and level of education.

Steps

  1. Select the sample file data.sample.csv under “Sample files”.

Note: Although the data.sample.csv is based on the 2013/2014 Canadian Community Health Survey Public Use Microdata File, data.sample.csv is a completely synthetic data set and can only be used for exemplary purposes.

  1. Select the calculation: Summary Measure – Deaths (Five years)

  2. Add filter: GEOGPRV – 48, which is the corresponding code for Alberta.

  3. Add two stratification: DDH_SEX and EDUDR04

  4. Title the calculation: Deaths by sex and education level

  5. Click the calculate button

7. To do: Results – walk through the results

5.1.2 Impact of eliminating unhealthy behaviours: smoking and poor diet, on life expectancy

To show how much an unhealthy behaviour impacts life expectancy we use the scenario: health behaviour attributable. Health behaviour attributable scenarios can be used for the health behaviours: alcohol consumption, diet, physical activity, and smoking, individually or in any combination. In this example we will evaluate the impact of smoking and poor diet, in combination, on life expectancy.

Steps

  1. Select the sample file data.sample.csv under “Sample files”.

Note: Although the data.sample.csv is based on the 2013/2014 Canadian Community Health Survey Public Use Microdata File, data.sample.csv is a completely synthetic data set and can only be used for exemplary purposes.

  1. Select initial calculation: Summary Measure – Life Expectancy (Summary)

  2. Add filter: GEOGPRV – 48, which is the corresponding code for Alberta.

  3. Click the text: Scenario.

  4. Select health behaviour attribution.

  5. Select the health behaviours: smoking and diet

  6. Title the calculation: Alberta: smoking and diet attributable life expectancy

  7. Click the calculate button

9. To Do: Walk through results

Note: \(\text{Physical inactivity and poor diet attributable life expectancy lost} \neq\) \(\text{Physical inactivity-deleted life expectacny} + \text{Poor diet-deleted life expectancy}\)

as individuals in the population may be both physically inactive and have a poor diet.