Ottawa Wellbeing Report – Healthy Populations This is part of a series of reports that provide a snapshot of education in Ottawa. Following the Canadian Index of Wellbeing framework, each report presents data from the eight domains of wellbeing. These domains are: Community Vitality, Democratic Engagement, Education, Environment, Healthy Populations, Leisure and Culture, Living Standards, and Time Use. Due to data availability, data are presented on only five of the eight domains and on selected indicators within each domain. In this report, the data are presented for the Ontario part of the Ottawa-Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA), unless otherwise specified. Where possible, data for Ottawa are compared to those for Ontario and/or Canada. Key Messages •
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More Ottawa residents rate their health as being excellent or very good compared to Ontario and Canada. Within Ottawa, the lowest proportion reporting excellent or very good health is found in residents aged 65 years and over. Life expectancies at birth and at age 65 in Ottawa are similar to the estimates observed for Ontario and Canada. Health-adjusted life expectancy is a composite measure that represents both quantity and quality of life. In Ottawa, females at the age 65 spend a greater portion of their life in an unhealthy state compared to their male counterparts. In Ottawa, diabetes shows age and gender disparities. Diabetes is more prevalent in seniors aged 65 years and over. In addition, higher mortality rates and hospital utilization rates are observed among males. A higher proportion of Ottawa residents are affected by mood disorders, including depression, compared to the general Canadian population. Despite awareness among Ottawa youth about the harm caused by smoking, this behavioural risk factor continues to be a public health concern for this population. Immunization rates are one way to measure the ability of a public health system in preventing illness and death. A higher influenza immunization rate among seniors aged 65 and over is observed in Ottawa compared to Ontario and Canada.
The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (World Health Organization, 2003). Consistent with this definition, the Canadian Index of Wellbeing describes health status along the dimensions of life expectancy, personal well-being, functional health, physical health, and mental health (Labonte et al., 2010). In addition, proximal factors that influence health such as lifestyle choices, health care services, and public health are also included in this domain. This report presents selected indicators from the Healthy Populations domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing for Ottawa (refer to Table A1 of the Appendix for a list of indicators).
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