Canadian Community Health Survey

The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) initiative began in 2000 with its main goals being the provision of population-level information on health determinants, health status and health system utilization. This series of surveys is a joint effort of Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Statistics Canada, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

The CCHS comprises two types of surveys:

• An annual component on general health that is described in detail on the Statistics Canada website.
• Focused surveys on specific health topics including nutrition that occur on an occasional basis.

Food and Nutrition Related Data

Food and nutrition-related modules, including food insecurity, fruit and vegetable consumption, dietary supplement use, self-reported height and weight, and infant feeding have been included in the CCHS-Annual Component.

Nutrition has been the topic of CCHS focused surveys in 2004 and 2015 (referred to as CCHS-Nutrition). CCHS-Nutrition has provided a rich source of national^{Footnote 1} and provincial-level data on food and nutrient intakes using 24-hour recalls, nutritional supplement intake, physical measurements (anthropometric), household food insecurity and other topics that support the interpretation of the 24-hour recall. Reference guides are available for both 2004 CCHS-Nutrition (previously referred to as CCHS-Cycle 2.2, Nutrition) and 2015 CCHS-Nutrition. These guides were developed to promote the appropriate use and interpretation of the data as well as consistent reporting of the survey findings. More information on 2015 CCHS-Nutrition is available on the Health Canada website.

Using information from the CCHS Annual component and the CCHS-Nutrition, a number of resources that report on the nutritional health and wellbeing of Canadians have been developed.

Food and Nutrient Intake

• Usual Intakes from Food for Energy, Nutrients and Other Dietary Components (2004 and 2015 CCHS-Nutrition)
  • Full dataset available on the Government of Canada's Open Data Portal
  • Interactive visualizations available on the Nutrition Surveillance Data Tool on the Public Health Infobase
• Food Consumption Table (2015 CCHS-Nutrition)
• Canadian Community Health Survey-Nutrition Articles on Canadian's Food and Nutrient Intakes
  • Nutrient Intakes from Food and Nutritional Supplements
  • Nutrient Intakes from Food, 2015
  • Use of Nutritional Supplements, 2015
  • Changes in beverage consumption in Canada
  • Change in total sugars consumption among Canadian children and adults
  • Do Canadian Children Meet their Nutrient Requirements through Food Intake Alone?
  • Do Canadian Adolescents Meet their Nutrient Requirements through Food Intake Alone?
  • Do Canadian Adults Meet their Nutrient Requirements through Food Intake Alone?
  • Eating habits and nutrient intake of Aboriginal males and females ages 19-50, living off-reserve in Ontario and the western provinces.
• Canadian Community Health Survey-Annual Component Articles on Canadians' Food and Nutrient Intakes
  • Trends and correlates of frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption, 2007 to 2014

Food Insecurity

• Household Food Insecurity in Canada
• Canada's Nutrition and Health Atlas (CNHA) - Household Food Security

Body Weight

• Measured body mass index, Canadian Community Health Survey - Nutrition, 2015
• Adult obesity in Canada: Measured height and weight
• Overweight Canadian children and adolescents
• Obesity and the Eating Habits of the Aboriginal Population
• Canada's Nutrition and Health Atlas (CNHA) - Measured Body Mass Index

Breastfeeding Practices

• Breastfeeding Practices in Canada: Overview
• The Maternal experiences - Breastfeeding Module (MEX module)
• Trends in Breastfeeding Practices in Canada (2001 to 2009-2010)
• Breastfeeding Initiation in Canada: Key Statistics and Graphics (2009-2010)
• Duration of Exclusive Breastfeeding in Canada: Key Statistics and Graphics (2009-2010)
• Vitamin D Supplementation of Breastfed Infants in Canada: Key Statistics and Graphics (2009-2010)