Statistical Profile on the Health of First Nations in Canada

Health Canada has released it's A Statistical Profile on the Health of First Nations in Canada for the Year 2000 report. The report contributes to improving First Nations health by increasing the information available to health professionals, researchers, community leaders and policy makers. It contains detailed statistics and figures on a range of health related topics, including hospitalization, perinatal health, life expectancy, and communicable diseases among First Nations people.

The report provides a snapshot of the health status of First Nations in Canada. Figures show that some aspects of First Nations health are improving, such as longer life expectancy and reduced mortality rates. At the same time, there are areas of concern, such as the high rate of tobacco use and a high incidence of injury.

In keeping with Aboriginal approaches to 'wellness'-- which encompass physical, social, emotional and spiritual spheres -- the report also contains a section on non-medical factors that affect health. Some of these factors are education, employment, housing conditions, water quality and sewage treatment.

To obtain a print copy of the A Statistical Profile on the Health of First Nations in Canada for the Year 2000 report, please contact the Health Information and Analysis Division. It is important that you provide your full postal address in your request.

Highlights of First Nations Health Statistics

The following are highlights from Health Canada's A Statistical Profile on the Health of First Nations in Canada for the Year 2000 report.

• The proportion of the First Nations population under 30 years of age was 61.1% in 2000, compared with 38.8% for the Canadian population in 2001.
  
  
• In 2000, life expectancy at birth for the Registered Indian population was estimated at 68.9 years for males and 76.6 years for females. This reflects differences of 7.4 years and 5.2 years, respectively, from the Canadian population's life expectancies.
  
  
• In 2000, the First Nations birth rate was 23.4 births per 1,000 population -- more than twice the Canadian rate. One in five First Nations births involved teenaged mothers; by contrast, far fewer births occurred among Canadian teen women (5.6%).
  
  
• First Nations and Canadian populations had similar proportions of low birth weight births in 2000; however, almost twice as many First Nations babies were classified as high birth weight than in Canada as a whole.
  
  
• Combined, circulatory diseases (23% of all deaths) and injury (22%) account for nearly half of all mortality among First Nations. In Canada, circulatory diseases account for 37% of all deaths, followed by cancer (27%). Unintentional injury and suicide were approximately 6% of all deaths among First Nations in Canada.
  
  
• The most common causes of death for First Nations people aged 1 to 44 years was injury and poisoning. Among children under 10 years, deaths were primarily classified as unintentional (accidental). For First Nations aged 45 years and older, circulatory disease was the most common cause of death.
  
  
• Suicide and self-injury were the leading causes of death for youth and adults up to age 44 years. In 2000, suicide accounted for 22% of all deaths in youth (aged 10 to 19 years) and 16% of all deaths in early adulthood (aged 20 to 44 years). This compares with 20.4% in Canadian youth.
  
  
• Motor vehicle collisions were a leading cause of death over all First Nations age groups.
  
  
• In First Nations, potential years of life lost from injury was more than all other causes of death combined and was almost 3.5 times that of the Canadian rate.
  
  
• Compared with the overall Canadian population, First Nations had elevated rates of pertussis (2.2 times higher), rubella (7 times higher), tuberculosis (6 times higher) and shigellosis (2.1 times higher) for the year 2000.
  
  
• The notification rate of genital chlamydia was almost seven times higher than the national rate, while the reported hepatitis C rate was one-third lower than the national rate.
  
  
• The coverage rates for routine immunizations of 2-year-olds were lower among First Nations children for all antigens.
  
  
• First Nations hospitalization rates were higher than the Canadian rates for all causes except circulatory diseases and cancers. Where the principal diagnoses were respiratory diseases, digestive diseases, or injuries and poisonings, the rates were approximately two to three times higher than their corresponding Canadian rates.
  
  
• Diseases of the respiratory system accounted for 18.8% and 11.6% of all hospital separations for First Nations males and females, respectively, in 1997.

• Injuries and poisonings accounted for 17.7% and 9.3% of all hospital separations for First Nations males and females, respectively, in 1997.
  
  
• The 1997 First Nations smoking rate was reported to be 62%. In Canada, 24% of the population aged 15 years and older were smokers in 2000.
  
  
• According to the 2001 Census of Canada, on-reserve Registered Indians rate lower than the general Canadian population on all educational attainment indicators, including secondary school completion rates, postsecondary education admissions and completion of university degrees.
  
  
• In 2000/01, 55.8% of homes on First Nations reserves were considered adequate. This was an increase of 12 percentage points from 10 years earlier. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) reports show that 15.7% were in need of major repairs, and 5.3% were no longer habitable or had been declared unsafe or unfit for human habitation.
  
  
• In 2000/01, 98.2% of First Nations homes were evaluated as having an adequate water supply. In terms of water delivery, 60.9% of homes relied on water service provided by a piped pressurized system.