Health Reports, November 2015

Released: 2015-11-18

The November 2015 online issue of Health Reports, released today, contains three articles: “Omega-3 Index of Canadian adults,” “A surveillance tool to assess diets according to Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide” and “Housing and health among Inuit children.”

The purpose of the study “Omega-3 Index of Canadian adults” is to estimate levels of two fatty acids—eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid—in terms of the Omega-3 Index and the cut-points for coronary heart disease (CHD) risk among a nationally representative sample of Canadian adults. Factors related to Omega-3 Index levels and potential associations with CHD-related factors are examined, using direct measures of red blood cell fatty acids from the 2012/2013 Canadian Health Measures Survey.

A surveillance tool was developed to assess dietary intake collected by surveys in relation to Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide (CFG). The tool classifies foods in the Canadian Nutrient File (CNF) according to how closely they reflect the CFG. The article “A surveillance tool to assess diets according to Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide” describes the validation exercise conducted to ensure that CNF foods determined to be “in line with the CFG” were appropriately classified.

Housing conditions have been associated with child health. Inuit children are generally in poorer health than other Canadian children. They are also more likely to live in crowded households, in dwellings that need major repair and to be exposed to second-hand smoke in the home. The study “Housing and health among Inuit children” uses the 2006 Aboriginal Children’s Survey to examine associations between physical and psychosocial housing characteristics and physical and mental health outcomes of Inuit children aged two to five.

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The articles “Omega-3 Index of Canadian adults,” “A surveillance tool to assess diets according to Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide” and “Housing and health among Inuit children” are now available in the November 2015 online issue of Health Reports, Vol. 26, no. 11 (Catalogue number82-003-X). From the Browse by key resource module of our website, choose Publications.

Contact information

For more information, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca).

For more information on the article “Omega-3 Index of Canadian adults,” contact Didier Garriguet (didier.garriguet@canada.ca; 613-854-7155), Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada.

For more information on the article “A surveillance tool to assess diets according to Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide,” contact Media Relations (613-957-2983), Health Canada.

For more information on the article “Housing and health among Inuit children,” contact Dafna Kohen (dafna.kohen@canada.ca; 613-853-6760), Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada.

For information about Health Reports, contact Janice Felman (613-799-7746; janice.felman@canada.ca), Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada.

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