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General Health

Data Sources: Canadian Community Health Survey 2000 & 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 & 2008, 2009 & 2010, 2011 & 2012, 2013 & 2014, Statistics Canada, Share File, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care

Sample: Residents 18 years and over in the KFL&A area.

Released: April 2016

Introduction

Perceived health is an indicator of overall health status. It can reflect aspects of health not captured in other measures, such as: incipient disease, disease severity, aspects of positive health status, physiological and psychological reserves and social and mental function. Perceived health refers to the perception of a person's health in general, either by the person himself or herself, or, in the case of proxy response, by the person responding. Health means not only the absence of disease or injury but also physical, mental and social well being.

Self-perceived health, 12+

Figure A. Self-perceived health, 12+, in KFL&A and Ontario, 2013 & 2014

Table A. Self-perceived health, 12+, in KFL&A and Ontario, 2014 & 2014, % (95% Confidence Interval)
Health Category	KFL&A, percentage	KFL&A, 95% Confidence Interval	Ontario, percentage	Ontario, 95% Confidence Interval
Excellent	17.6%	14.1, 21.7	21.0%	20.3, 21.7
Very good	44.0%	39.0, 49.1	38.6%	37.8, 39.5
Good	26.5%	22.5, 31.1	28.7%	27.8, 29.5
Fair or poor	11.9%	9.5, 14.9	11.7%	11.2, 12.3

Interpretation for Figure A

In KFL&A area and Ontario, respondents most frequently rated their health as 'Very good'. In 2013 & 2014 in KFL&A, 44.0% (39.0, 49.1) of the population 12+ felt their health was 'Very good', and 17.6% (14.1, 21.7) thought their health was 'Excellent'.

Those with excellent health, 12+

Figure B. Excellent health, 12+, KFL&A and Ontario

Table B. Excellent health, 12+, KFL&A and Ontario, % (95% Confidence Interval)
Year	KFL&A, percentage	KFL&A, 95% Confidence Interval	Ontario, percentage	Ontario, 95% Confidence Interval
2000 & 2001	27.3%	24.1, 30.8	26.6%	25.9, 27.2
2003	20.7%	17.7, 24.2	21.8%	21.2, 22.4
2005	19.5%	16.6, 22.6	22.0%	21.4, 22.7
2007 & 2008	21.1%	18.1, 24.5	21.2%	20.5, 21.9
2009 & 2010	21.8%	17.3, 27.0	23.1%	22.3, 23.9
2011 & 2012	23.3%	19.0, 28.2	21.0%	20.3, 21.8
2013 & 2014	17.6%	14.1, 21.7	21.0%	20.3, 21.7

Interpretation for Figure B

In 2013 & 2014 in KFL&A, 17.6% (14.1, 21.7) rated their health as 'Excellent'. There are no observed trends over time.

Those with very good health, 12+

Figure C. Very good health, 12+, KFL&A and Ontario

Table C. Very good health, 12+, KFL&A and Ontario, % (95% Confidence Interval)
Year	KFL&A, percentage	KFL&A, 95% Confidence Interval	Ontario, percentage	Ontario, 95% Confidence Interval
2000 & 2001	35.8%	32.3, 39.4	36.8%	36.0, 37.5
2003	31.3%	27.8, 35.0	35.7%	34.9, 36.4
2005	44.1%	40.1, 48.2	38.7%	38.0, 39.5
2007 & 2008	36.8%	33.2, 40.6	38.4%	37.7, 39.2
2009 & 2010	40.5%	35.0, 46.2	37.6%	36.8, 38.5
2011 & 2012	39.3%	35.0, 43.7	39.5%	38.6, 40.3
2013 & 2014	44.0%	39.0, 49.1	38.6%	37.8, 39.5

Interpretation for Figure C

In 2013 & 2014 in KFL&A, 44.0% (39.0, 49.1) rated their health as 'Very good'. There are no observed trends over time.

Those with good health, 12+

Figure D. Good health, 12+, KFL&A and Ontario

Table D. Good health, 12+, KFL&A and Ontario, % (95% Confidence Interval)
Year	KFL&A, percentage	KFL&A, 95% Confidence Interval	Ontario, percentage	Ontario, 95% Confidence Interval
2000 & 2001	25.5%	22.2, 29.1	24.6%	24.0, 25.3
2003	35.3%	31.3, 39.6	30.9%	30.1, 31.7
2005	24.7%	21.3, 28.4	28.2%	27.6, 28.9
2007 & 2008	28.0%	24.4, 32.0	28.4%	27.7, 29.1
2009 & 2010	25.8%	22.1, 29.5	27.3%	26.5, 28.0
2011 & 2012	24.4%	20.4, 28.9	28.2%	27.3, 29.1
2013 & 2014	26.5%	22.5, 31.1	28.7%	27.8, 29.5

Interpretation for Figure D

In 2013 & 2014 in KFL&A, 26.5% (22.5, 31.1) rated their health as 'Good'. There are no observed trends over time.

Those with fair or poor health, 12+

Figure E. Fair or poor health, 12+, KFL&A and Ontario

Table E. Fair or poor health, 12+, KFL&A and Ontario, % (95% Confidence Interval)
Year	KFL&A, percentage	KFL&A, 95% Confidence Interval	Ontario, percentage	Ontario, 95% Confidence Interval
2000 & 2001	11.4%	9.4, 13.8	12.1%	11.6, 12.5
2003	12.6%	10.3, 15.4	11.7%	11.2, 12.1
2005	11.7%	9.5, 14.4	11.0%	10.6, 11.5
2007 & 2008	14.0%	11.7, 16.7	12.0%	11.5, 12.6
2009 & 2010	12.0%	9.7, 14.7	12.0%	11.5, 12.5
2011 & 2012	13.0%	10.2, 16.5	11.3%	10.8, 11.9
2013 & 2014	11.9%	9.5, 14.9	11.7%	11.2, 12.3

Interpretation for Figure E

In 2013 & 2014 in KFL&A, 11.9% (9.5, 14.9) rated their health as 'Fair' or 'Poor'. There are no observed trends over time.

Those with excellent or very good health, 12+

Figure F. Excellent or very good health, 12+, KFL&A and Ontario

Table F. Excellent or very good health, 12+, KFL&A and Ontario, % (95% Confidence Interval)
Year	KFL&A, percentage	KFL&A, 95% Confidence Interval	Ontario, percentage	Ontario, 95% Confidence Interval
2000 & 2001	63.1%	59.4, 66.7	63.3%	62.6, 64.0
2003	52.0%	47.9, 56.1	57.5%	56.7, 58.2
2005	63.6%	59.7, 67.3	60.7%	60.0, 61.5
2007 & 2008	58.0%	54.1, 61.8	59.6%	58.8, 60.4
2009 & 2010	62.2%	58.1, 66.2	60.7%	59.9, 61.5
2011 & 2012	62.6%	57.8, 67.1	60.5%	59.5, 61.4
2013 & 2014	61.6%	56.0, 66.8	59.6%	58.8, 60.4

Interpretation for Figure F

In 2013 & 2014 in KFL&A, 61.6% (56.0, 66.8) rated their health as 'Excellent' or 'Very good'. There are no observed trends over time.

Those with excellent or very good health, 12+, by sex

Figure G. Males with excellent or very good health, 12+, KFL&A and Ontario

Table G. Males with excellent or very good health, 12+, KFL&A and Ontario, % (95% Confidence Interval)
Year	KFL&A, percentage	KFL&A, 95% Confidence Interval	Ontario, percentage	Ontario, 95% Confidence Interval
2000 & 2001	63.9%	57.6, 69.7	64.7%	63.8, 65.7
2003	48.1%	41.9, 54.4	58.5%	57.4, 59.6
2005	61.8%	55.5, 67.8	61.5%	60.5, 62.5
2007 & 2008	50.5%	45.0, 55.9	60.4%	59.2, 61.5
2009 & 2010	62.8%	56.4, 68.7	61.1%	59.9, 62.3
2011 & 2012	62.6%	55.7, 68.9	61.1%	59.2, 62.5
2013 & 2014	60.3%	51.4, 68.6	60.3%	59.1, 61.6

Interpretation for Figure G

In 2013 & 2014 in KFL&A, 60.3% (51.4, 68.6) males rated their health as 'Excellent' or 'Very good'. There are no observed trends over time.

Figure H. Females with excellent or very good health, 12+, KFL&A and Ontario

Table H. Females with excellent or very good health, 12+, KFL&A and Ontario, % (95% Confidence Interval)
Year	KFL&A, percentage	KFL&A, 95% Confidence Interval	Ontario, percentage	Ontario, 95% Confidence Interval
2000 & 2001	62.4%	55.9, 68.4	61.9%	61.0, 62.9
2003	55.7%	50.1, 61.2	56.4%	55.4, 57.5
2005	65.2%	60.2, 69.9	60.0%	59.0, 61.0
2007 & 2008	64.9%	60.0, 69.5	58.8%	57.7, 59.9
2009 & 2010	61.8%	56.8, 66.8	60.3%	59.2, 61.5
2011 & 2012	62.6%	54.0, 70.5	59.9%	58.7, 61.1
2013 & 2014	62.7%	57.1, 68.0	58.9%	57.6, 60.1

Interpretation for Figure H

In 2013 & 2014 in KFL&A, 62.7% (57.1, 68.0) females rated their health as 'Excellent' or 'Very good'. There are no observed trends over time.

Those with excellent or very good health, 12+, by age group

Figure I. Excellent or very good health, 12+, by age group, KFL&A and Ontario, 2013 & 2014

Table I. Excellent or very good health, 12+, by age group, KFL&A and Ontario, 2013 & 2014, % (95% Confidence Interval)
Age group	KFL&A, percentage	KFL&A, 95% Confidence Interval	Ontario, percentage	Ontario, 95% Confidence Interval
12 to 19	68.3%	53.1, 80.4	70%	67.8, 72.1
20 to 29	65.4%	51.8, 76.8	66.9%	64.9, 68.9
30 to 39	69.5%	53.3, 81.9	66.3%	63.7, 68.8
40 to 49	49.4%	34, 64.8	61.4%	59, 63.7
50 to 64	66.7%	58.1, 74.3	54.2%	52.3, 56.2
65+	51.4%	43.2, 59.2	46.2%	44.5, 47.8

Interpretation for Figure I

In 2013 & 2014 in KFL&A, 51.4% (43.2, 59.2) of residents 65+ rated their health as 'Excellent' or 'Very good'.

Those with excellent or very good health, 12+, by urban and rural status

Figure J. Excellent or very good health, 12+, by urban and rural status, KFL&A and Ontario, 2013 & 2014

Table J. Excellent or very good health, 12+, by urban and rural status, KFL&A and Ontario, 2013 & 2014, % (95% Confidence Interval)
Urban and rural status	KFL&A, percentage	KFL&A, 95% Confidence Interval	Ontario, percentage	Ontario, 95% Confidence Interval
Urban	58.8%	52.4, 64.8	58.8%	52.4, 64.8
Rural	66.5%	56.7, 75.0	66.5%	56.7, 75.0

Interpretation for Figure J

There were no significant differences by urban and rural status for residents rating their health as 'Excellent' or 'Very good'.

Those with excellent or very good health, 12+, by income groupings

Figure K. Excellent or very good health, 12+, by income grouping, KFL&A and Ontario, 2013 & 2014

Table K. Excellent of very good health, 12+, by income grouping, KFL&A and Ontario, 2013 & 2014, % (95% Confidence Interval)
Income grouping	KFL&A, percentage	KFL&A, 95% Confidence Interval	Ontario, percentage	Ontario, 95% Confidence Interval
Lower income	41.9%	32.3, 52.2	48.3%	46.7, 50
Medium income	67.7%	60.3, 74.3	60.1%	58.8, 61.5
Higher income	73.7%	65.6, 80.4	70.2%	68.7, 71.6

Interpretation for Figure K

For both KFL&A and Ontario, as income decreases, self-perceived health as 'Excellent' or 'Very good' decreases.

Notes on the income groupings:

The income variable was based on a derived income variable from the CCHS. This variable provided a distribution of respondents in deciles based on the adjusted ratio of their total household income to the low income cut-off corresponding to their household and community size. It provides, for each respondent, a relative measure of their household income to the household incomes of all other respondents. The income variables used in this report were determined as follows: the lowest 3 deciles of the derived variable from CCHS were categorized into 'Lower Income', the middle 4 deciles were categorized into 'Middle Income' and the highest 3 deciles were categorized into 'Higher Income'.

Fair or poor health, 12+, by sex

Figure L. Fair or poor health, 12+, by sex, Ontario, 2013 & 2014

Table L. Fair or poor health, 12+, by sex, Ontario, 2013 & 2014, % (95% Confidence Interval)
Age group	Total, percentage	Total, 95% Confidence Interval	Males, percentage	Males, 95% Confidence Interval	Females, percentage	Females, 95% Confidence Interval
12 to 19	4.7%	3.8, 5.9	5.2%	3.8, 7.2	4.2%	3.2, 5.6
20 to 29	5.8%	4.8, 7	5%	3.9, 6.4	6.6%	5.2, 8.4
30 to 39	6.2%	5.2, 7.3	5.6%	4.4, 7.0	6.7%	5.3, 8.5
40 to 49	9.7%	8.3, 11.4	9.7%	7.7, 12.2	9.8%	7.8, 12.2
50 to 64	16.6%	15.2, 18	17.6%	15.4, 20	15.5%	13.6, 17.6
65+	21.7%	20.4, 23	20.9%	19, 22.9	22.3%	20.7, 24.1

Interpretation for Figure L

Those aged 65+ have the highest proportion of those with 'Fair' or 'Poor' health.

Self-perceived health compared to one-year ago, 12+

Figure M. Self-perceived health compared to one-year ago in KFL&A and Ontario, 2013 & 2014

Table M. Self-perceived health compared to one-year ago in KFL&A and Ontario, 2013 & 2014, % (95% Confidence Interval)
Health Category	KFL&A, percentage	KFL&A, 95% Confidence Interval	Ontario, percentage	Ontario, 95% Confidence Interval
Much or somewhat better	21.0%	17.1, 25.6	21.4%	20.7, 22.1
About the same	69.5%	64.4, 74.2	67.7%	66.9, 68.5
Much or somewhat worse	9.5%	7.2, 12.3	10.9%	10.4, 11.4

Interpretation for Figure M

In KFL&A, in 2013 & 2014, 21.0% (17.1, 25.6) of residents, 12+, felt their health was much better or somewhat better than one year ago.

Self-perceived health compared to one-year ago, 12+, by age group

Figure N. Self-perceived health compared to one-year ago, by age group, KFL&A and Ontario, 2013 & 2014

Table N. Self-perceived health compared to one-year ago, by age group, KFL&A and Ontario, 2013 & 2014, % (95% Confidence Interval)
Age group	Ontario, percentage	Ontario, 95% Confidence Interval
12 to 19	5.3%	4.5, 6.4
20 to 29	7.5%	6.4, 8.7
30 to 39	7.9%	6.7, 9.4
40 to 49	9.4%	8.0, 11.0
50 to 64	13.7%	12.5, 15.0
65+	17.6%	16.5, 18.7

Interpretation for Figure N

In Ontario, as age increases, so does the proportion of residents who feel their health is somewhat worse or much worse than one-year ago.

Confidence intervals explained

Researchers look at the "confidence levels" of percentages being compared to decide if there is a statistically significant difference between percentages. A statistically significant difference means that:

the difference between two percentages is unlikely to have occurred by chance alone, and
there is a true difference or change in the percentages.

In this report, 95% confidence intervals will accompany each percentage in all figures and tables. This interval represents the range in which we are 95% confident the true percentage will fall within. In tables, the 95% confidence intervals will be written with the percentage, followed by the 95% confidence interval range in brackets (e.g., 25% (12.3, 32.4)). In figures, the 95% confidence interval is represented by vertical bars in each bar line.