Statistics Canada – Canadian Community Health Survey

Tuesday, June 15, 2010 >

2009 (Previous release)

According to new data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), one in seven or 4.1 million Canadians aged 12 and older suffered an activity-limiting injury in 2009. About 35% of these injuries occurred while taking part in sports or physical exercise, the most common type of injury-causing activity. The data also showed that among the 11.4 million people who reported bicycling, 46% said they never wore a helmet whenever they cycled.Activity-limiting injuries

Just over 4.1 million Canadians aged 12 and over, or about 15% of this population, suffered an injury severe enough to limit their usual activities in 2009. This was up from 3.4 million, or 13%, in 2001.

Of those injuries, 55% received medical attention within 48 hours in 2009, down from 64% in 2001.

The most common cause of injury reported by Canadians was falls. In 2009, nearly 1.7 million people, or 41% of those who reported an injury, stated they were injured in a fall. This was more common among women (46%) than men (36%).

Taking part in sports or physical exercise was the most frequent type of activity (at the time the injury occurred) for both males (41%) and females (28%). Walking (19%) was the second most common injury-related activity for females, followed by household chores (13%). For males, the next most common activities were working (17%) and doing household chores (15%).

In 2009, adolescents aged 12 to 19 had the highest injury rate of all age groups covered by the survey at 26%. The injury rate for adolescent girls rose from 18% in 2001 to 23% in 2009, while the rate increased for adolescent boys from 27% to 29% during the same time period.

In 2009, the majority of adolescent boys (70%) and adolescent girls (59%) were injured while participating in sports or physical exercise.

Bicycle helmet use

The CCHS also examined the use of helmets for various sports including bicycling. Among the 11.4 million people aged 12 and over who reported bicycling in the past year, almost half (46%) never wore a helmet.

In terms of differences between the sexes, men were more likely to never wear a helmet (48% versus 43%).

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Note to readers

This article features analysis based on data from the 2009 Canadian Community Health Survey. The analysis in this release covers selected health indicators on activity-limiting injuries, bicycle helmet use, breastfeeding, functional health, smoking, access to a regular medical doctor, and obesity.

This survey collects a wide range of self-reported information about the health status of Canadians, factors determining their health and their use of health care services.

Residents of Indian reserves, health care institutions, some remote areas, and full-time members of the Canadian Forces were excluded.

Injuries in this article include sprains, broken bones, cut and burns, but exclude repetitive strain injuries.

Functional health featured in this release is based on an adapted version of the Health Utility Index Mark 3 tool developed at McMaster University. It measures a person’s overall functional health using eight attributes: vision, hearing, speech, mobility, dexterity, feelings, cognition and pain.
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Although 37% of Canadians always wore a bicycle helmet, this varied considerably across the country. Nationally, five provinces and one territory had rates of bicycle helmet use above the Canadian average: Nova Scotia (66%), British Columbia (59%), New Brunswick (51%), Prince Edward Island (51%), Yukon (51%) and Alberta (48%). Each of these jurisdictions has some form of bicycle helmet legislation.

Conversely, those jurisdictions with rates of bicycle helmet use below the national average were Manitoba (22%), Saskatchewan (23%), Quebec (26%), Northwest Territories (28%) and Ontario (34%). Of these, only Ontario has a provincial bicycle helmet legislation.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, 38% of people reported always wearing a bicycle helmet, a rate comparable to the national rate.

View Statistics Canada – Canadian Community Health Survey here