Health outcomes, behaviours, and utilization: Variables and classification criteria.
| VARIABLES (POPULATION SELECTION) | CRITERIA TO RECORD AS POSITIVE |
|---|---|
| Cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease | Diagnosed by a physician |
| Other chronic health conditions | Diagnosed by a physician; that have lasted or were expected to last 6 mo or more |
| Injury | Self-reported injury in last 12 mo |
| Self-perceived general health | Good, very good, or excellent |
| Education | Received some post-secondary education |
| Smoker | Smoking cigarettes daily or occasionally |
| Obese | Body mass index (self-reported weight in kg divided by the square of self-reported height in m) of 30 or greater |
| Heavy alcohol consumption | Self-reported consumption of 5 or more drinks on a single occasion, 2 or more times per wk |
| Fruit and vegetable consumption | Consuming at or above the daily recommended amount |
| Physically inactive | Respondents’ leisure time physical activity in the past 3 mo expended less than 1.5 kcal/kg daily |
| Life stress (among those 18 y or older) | Quite a bit or extreme stress level |
| Sense of belonging to their community | Somewhat or very strong |
| Low social support | Below 50th percentile on the positive social interactions subscale |
| Low emotional support | Below 50th percentile on the emotional or information support subscale |
| Depression | Self-reported lack of interest in most things and reported4 or more of the following symptoms: appetite or sleep disturbance, decreased energy, difficulty concentrating, feelings of worthlessness, suicidal thoughts |
| Disability or health problem as a barrier to action to improve health (among respondents reporting a barrier) | Had not done anything in past 12 mo to improve health, owing to a barrier; cited disability or health problem as the barrier |
| Hysterectomy (among women 25–65 y) | Had hysterectomy |
| Papanicolaou test (among women sexually active in last 12 mo) | Had test in the past 3 y |
| Mammogram (among women 50 y or older) | Had mammogram in the past 2 y |
| Prostate-specific antigen test for prostate cancer (among men 50 y or older) | Had test in the past 2 y |
| Flu shot (among Ontario residents) | Ever had a flu shot |
| Primary care access | Reported at least 1 family doctor or general practitioner visit in the past 12 mo |
| Unmet health care need (among those 18 y or older) | Affirmative response to question asking whether in the last 12 mo they felt they needed health care but did not receive it |