Athabasca Health Authrity Keewatin Yatthé Health Regin Mamawetan Churchill River Health Regin
Nrthern Saskatchewan Health Indicatrs Reprt 2011 Summary Athabasca Health Authrity Keewatin Yatthé Health Regin Mamawetan Churchill River Health Regin Prduced by: Ppulatin Health Unit Bx 6000 La Rnge, SK S0J 1L0 Dr. James Irvine, Medical Health Officer Brian Quinn, Nurse Epidemilgist Dnna Stckdale, Directr December 2011 Cpies f the summary and cmplete reprt can be dwnladed frm the Ppulatin Health Unit website www.ppulatinhealthunit.ca Cpyright 2011 by Ppulatin Health Unit Pht credits Annette McCann, Dnna Stckdale
Nrthern Saskatchewan Health Indicatrs Reprt 2011 Summary The Nrthern Saskatchewan Health Indicatrs Reprt 2011 prvides an verview f the health and living circumstances f the peple f nrthern Saskatchewan, highlighting cmmunity characteristics, explring determinants f health the things that influence ur health and ffering indicatrs abut the health status and well-being f ur nrthern ppulatin. The reprt cntains infrmatin n hw health indicatrs and determinants have changed ver time, and hw nrthern Saskatchewan cmpares with ther parts f the prvince as well as ther nrthern areas f Canada. Thrugh a review f these indicatrs and determinants, cncerns and issues can be flagged and actins develped t maintain and imprve nrthern strengths as well as t meet cntinuing r emerging cmmn challenges. Central t this prcess is an understanding that ur health care system is nly ne f many factrs that cntribute t health. Many ther grups, agencies, rganizatins, levels f gvernment and individuals influence health. Imprvements in health will cme with imprvements in health determinants and will be achieved thrugh cmmunity leadership, educatin, ecnmic and cmmunity develpment, and thrugh the cllabrative wrk f grups and individuals dedicated t these gals. The full reprt is available at www.ppulatinhealthunit.ca. Cmmunity Characteristics Our gegraphy The area described as nrthern Saskatchewan is rughly the nrthern half f the prvince and is cntained within the bundaries f the Keewatin Yatthé Health Regin (KYHR), Mamawetan Churchill River Health Regin (MCRHR) and the Athabasca Health Authrity (AHA). Much f the traditinal land f the First Natins that are assciated with the Meadw Lake Tribal Cuncil and the Prince Albert Grand Cuncil is lcated within the nrthern health regins/authrities, and sme within adjining suthern health regins. MCRHR, KYHR and AHA are the three largest f the 13 health authrities/regins in Saskatchewan. Nrthern Saskatchewan is hme t three eclgical regins: the taiga shield, breal shield, and breal plains. Our peple Clse t 36,000 peple live in ver 70 cmmunities spread ut acrss nrthern Saskatchewan. Almst half the ppulatin (apprximately 46%) lives in First Natins cmmunities (n-reserve). Nrthern Saskatchewan cntinues t have a yung grwing ppulatin. Between 1995 and 2010, the ttal ppulatin increased by 16.5%. In 2010, 32% f the ppulatin was under 15 years f age. Only 4.5% was ver age 65. The nrthern birth rate is almst duble the prvincial rate. Over 85% f the ppulatin in nrthern Saskatchewan identify themselves as Abriginal (22% Métis and 62% First Natins predminately Cree and Dene), cmpared t fewer than 15% in the prvince f Saskatchewan. 1
Nn-medical Determinants f Health Health is influenced by many factrs beynd medical care, such as sciecnmic factrs. Significant health disparities exist within nrthern Saskatchewan, and between nrthern Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan as a whle. Inequities start with the significant differences in scial determinants f health. Ecnmic Median incme in 2006 was less than 60% f the prvincial median incme. Clse t ne in fur families are cnsidered t have lw incme; this is almst 2.5 times greater than in the prvince as a whle. The cst f healthy fd has remained substantially greater in nrthern Saskatchewan cmpared t lcatins in suthern Saskatchewan. Educatin and emplyment There are increasing numbers f high schl graduates. Hwever, the prprtin f the nrthern ppulatin aged 25-29 years wh cmpleted high schl was 46% in 2006, which is substantially lwer than the prvincial rate f 80%. The lng-term unemplyment rate is ver fur times the prvincial rate and there is a grwing ptential wrkfrce. Physical envirnment The nrth is an area f beautiful natural envirnment with lts f trees, lakes and ther natural resurces. Husing issues include almst fur times the prprtin f hmes requiring majr repair, and ver 10 times the rate f crwding cmpared t the prvince. Scial envirnment Individuals living ff-reserve in nrthern Saskatchewan reprt higher levels f cmmunity belnging than in Saskatchewan and Canada as a whle. Over 40% f the ppulatin speaks an Abriginal language at hme: Cree, Dene, r Michif. Crime rates are higher in nrthern Saskatchewan than acrss the prvince. Persnal health practices Over 40% f thse aged 12 years and ver living ff-reserve smke tbacc. This is abut duble the prvincial rate. Between 45% and almst 75% f wmen smked during their pregnancy in nrthern Saskatchewan, depending n the area. Rates f physical activity in the ff-reserve ppulatin are slightly greater in nrthern Saskatchewan than in all f Saskatchewan. Immunizatin cverage fr children ff-reserve in nrthern Saskatchewan is abut the same as the cverage within Saskatchewan. 2
Health Status Mrtality Life expectancy is increasing, but is still five years shrter than in the prvince. The infant death rate has been imprving, but remains substantially higher than the prvincial rate. Deaths frm cngenital anmalies have decreased by almst half in the past 25 years. The leading causes f death are injuries, cancers, and circulatry diseases. Premature deaths frm injuries have been decreasing but remain the majr cause f premature death (44% f premature deaths are due t injuries) with rates ver twice as high as in the prvince. Suicides make up 25% f injury deaths in nrthern Saskatchewan with rates three times as high as in the prvince. Abut tw-thirds f mtr vehicle cllisin deaths invlved drivers wh had been drinking alchl. Chrnic diseases Over 65% f the peple living ff-reserve aged 18 and ver are cnsidered verweight r bese. Diabetes prevalence rates are the highest in the prvince when they are calculated t accunt fr the much yunger age structure f the nrthern ppulatin. The impacts f circulatry diseases like heart disease are increasing, partly due t an increasing ppulatin in the lder age grups. Rates f cancer in nrthern Saskatchewan fr males are lwer than fr the prvince, but the female rate is the same fr nrthern and suthern Saskatchewan. The tp types f cancer are breast cancer and lung cancer in females and prstate and lung cancer in males, while lung cancer is by far the leading cause f cancer deaths fr bth males and females. Lung cancer rates are greater cmpared t the prvince, thugh rates f breast and clrectal cancer are slightly lwer. Rates f prstate cancer are significantly lwer in nrthern Saskatchewan. Cervical cancer rates are decreasing. Cmmunicable diseases Remarkable imprvements have been seen in nrthern Saskatchewan s rates f diarrheal diseases, hepatitis A, and many vaccine preventable diseases. Hwever, spradic utbreaks f sme infectins remain a cncern. Rates f sexually transmitted infectins, tuberculsis and hepatitis C remain substantially elevated in nrthern Saskatchewan. Chlamydia rates are ver five times greater (2008), tuberculsis rates ver 90 times greater (2010), and hepatitis C rates are ver tw times greater (2007) than the rates in Saskatchewan r Canada. On average, 40% f the individuals with TB in nrthern Saskatchewan live ff-reserve. HIV is cntinuing t emerge as an increasing issue in Saskatchewan nrth and suth. The nrthern incidence rate is nw abut equal t the prvincial rate, with abut seven new cases being diagnsed acrss the nrth each f the last several years (2008-2010). 3
Wrking tgether t maintain and imprve the health f nrtherners The health and living circumstances described in this reprt emphasize the imprtance f wrking tgether acrss sectrs, and acrss cmmunities in a variety f areas. 1. Scial determinants (multi-sectr invlvement including ecnmic develpment, scial services, prvincial and federal gvernments) Supprts fr early childhd develpment and educatin Pverty reductin (early childhd, yuth and adult educatin and training) Husing Ecnmic develpment that cincides with scial and persnal develpment t avid increasing health disparities acrss the nrth and t assist with verall prsperity f the nrth Partnerships and advcacy fr scial imprvements t reduce health inequity 2. Health behaviurs (multi-sectr invlvement alng with health and cmmunity leadership making healthy chices easier ) Supprts fr tbacc and substance abuse reductin / preventin Supprts fr physical activity and healthy eating Healthy alternatives fr yuth in ur cmmunities (activities, supprts, educatin, future emplyment pssibilities) 3. Health services and prgrams (treatment, care and preventin) Supprts fr infant health starting in pregnancy and including the family and cntinuing with early childhd develpment Injury preventin Chrnic disease and cancer preventin (active living, healthy eating, decreased tbacc use) Tuberculsis and HIV preventin including early diagnsis, treatment and supprtive services, substance use preventin and reductin strategies, alng with harm reductin Cmmunity-fcused cmprehensive prgrams and services including areas f primary care, mental health and addictins, chrnic disease (diabetes, heart disease, strke, cancer), prenatal and infant care, yuth services prmting selfesteem and mental well-being, tbacc reductin and substance abuse, physical activity, and sexual wellness Crdinatin f health care services acrss jurisdictins t prvide cntinuity f care, and crdinatin with ther human services prgrams t prvide scial supprts fr vulnerable ppulatins acrss the nrth Patient-fcused care based n nrthern peple, culture and gegraphy We must remain cnscius f the imprtant link between the health f the ppulatin and ecnmic develpment. Strategies t reduce scial inequities and decrease health disparities will be required t maximize nrthern prsperity. Dr. James Irvine 4
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