Release notice – Strengthening the evidence base on health inequalities in Canada

https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.38.7/8.05

In May 2018, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) released Key Health Inequalities in Canada: A National Portrait.

The report provides a detailed statistical portrait of inequalities in social determinants of health and health outcomes across a range of population groups in Canada (for example by income, education, employment, material and social deprivation, Indigenous identity, sexual orientation, and cultural/racial backgrounds). It is intended to strengthen the monitoring of health inequalities and to support the development of research, programs and policies aimed at improving health equity in Canada.

This report is a joint publication of the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network (PHN) in collaboration with Statistics Canada, the Canadian Institute for Health Information, and the First Nations Information Governance Centre.

Report chapters examine inequalities in health outcomes (such as life expectancy and mortality, mental illness, disability and oral health), health behaviours and determinants of health (such as early childhood development and household food insecurity).

Significant health inequalities were observed across different population groups, with pronounced inequalities for Canadians with lower socioeconomic status and Indigenous peoples.

The report is complemented by an online interactive database, the Health Inequalities Data Tool.

For questions, please contact: PHAC.health.inequalities-inegalites.en.sante.ASPC@canada.ca