Health and Activity Limitation Survey : Institutional Component (HALS)
Detailed information for 1986
Status:
Inactive
Frequency:
Every 5 years
Record number:
3252
This was a post-censal disability survey used to identify the numbers and distribution of disabled persons in Canada residing in health related non-penal institutions and the barriers experienced by them.
Data release - May 1989
Description
This was a post-censal disability survey used to identify the numbers and distribution of disabled persons in Canada residing in health related non-penal institutions and the barriers experienced by them.
The Health and Activity Limitation Survey : Institutional Component was discontinued after the 1991 reference period.
Subjects
- Disability
- Equity and inclusion
- Health
- Society and community
Data sources and methodology
Target population
The target population of HALS consisted of all persons with a physical or psychological disability who were living in Canada at the time of the Census, including residents of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, and permanent residents of most collective dwellings and health care institutions. Indian reserves were covered by the Aboriginal Peoples Survey also conducted by Statistics Canada. Persons excluded for operational reasons were residents in penal institutions, correctional facilities, military camps, campgrounds and parks, soup kitchens, merchant and coast guard ships and children's group homes.
Instrument design
The 1986 Census of Population provided a list of institutions and from this list of institutions, five types were chosen for inclusion in the Health and Activity Limitation Survey (HALS) - 1) Orphanages and Children's Homes; 2) Special Care Homes and Institutions for the Elderly and Chronically Ill; 3) General Hospitals; 4) Psychiatric Institutions; 5) Treatment Centres and Institutions for the Physically Handicapped.
A sample of institutions was selected based on type and by size (i.e. number of permanent residents at the time of the 1986 Census). Within each selected institution, a sample of permanent residents was selected based on a listing provided by the institution.
The preferred collection methodology was a personal interview; however, proxy interviews were conducted in cases where the respondent's health or condition precluded a personal interview. A proxy interview was conducted for all selected individuals aged 14 and under.
Sampling
This is a sample survey with a cross-sectional design.
Data sources
Responding to this survey is mandatory.
Data are collected directly from survey respondents.
The data collection operations for institutions survey were carried out in March and April 1987. Only personal interviews were acceptable for the purposes of this survey. Although the interviewers were instructed to try to obtain an interview with the subject in the case of adult residents, this was possible in only 42% of the cases, owing in large part to the severity of the condition of many residents. All the other interviews were done with the help of the institutional staff or next-of-kin. The response rate for the institutions survey was 97%.
Error detection
All HALS data base records were subjected to complex computer editing in which the validity and consistency of responses were checked. Missing or erroneous data were identified as "unknown", or in some cases, were imputed using other information contained in the same questionnaire.
Data capture for the household and institutions survey was done in Statistics Canada regional offices. The data were then transmitted to Statistics Canada headquarters in Ottawa for subsequent processing. When capture was completed, the survey questionnaire was shipped to Ottawa.
Estimation
Statistics from the Health and Activity Limitation Survey (HALS) data base are estimates based on a sample survey of a portion of the Canadian population (approximately 1 out of every 25 persons in the 'yes' sample and 1 out of every 300 persons in the 'no' sample). As a result, the statistics are subject to two types of error: sampling and non-sampling errors.
In a sample survey such as HALS, each respondent in the sample represents a subset of persons in the population being studied. Consequently, each data base record is assigned a weight corresponding to the number of persons represented. In addition, the weight is further modified to offset non-response and discrepancies between the population studied and the target population.
HALS records were weighted to represent the Canadian population excluding persons not eligible for the survey, which were those in penal institutions and correctional facilities, and on reserves not enumerated in the 1986 Census.
Disclosure control
Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects that could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Various confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any information deemed confidential. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.
In order to prevent any data disclosure, confidentiality analysis is done using the Statistics Canada Generalized Disclosure Control System (G-Confid). G-Confid is used for primary suppression (direct disclosure) as well as for secondary suppression (residual disclosure). Direct disclosure occurs when the value in a tabulation cell is composed of or dominated by few enterprises while residual disclosure occurs when confidential information can be derived indirectly by piecing together information from different sources or data series.
Data accuracy
Sampling error is the difference between the estimate derived from a sample and the result that would have been obtained from a population census using the same data collection procedures. For a sample survey such as HALS, this error can be estimated from the survey data. The degree of error reflects the standard deviation of the estimate. When a sampling error is more than 25% of the estimate itself, it is considered to be too unreliable to be published. In such a case, the symbol '--' appears in statistical tables in place of the estimate. When the sampling error is between 16.5% and 25%, the corresponding estimate is accompanied by the symbol '*' in a table. Such estimates should be used with caution. Finally, all estimates with a sampling error of less than 16.5% can be used without restriction.
All other types of errors (observation, response, processing and non-response errors) are called non-sampling errors. Identifying and evaluating the importance of many of these errors can be difficult.
Observation errors arise when there is a difference between the target population and the sample population. Integrating HALS with the census of population has made it possible to greatly reduce this type of error. Only a certain portion of Indian reserves and collective dwellings were systematically ignored in the sampling process, but their importance is negligible compared to the total population. Consequently, observation errors should not have a significant influence on the HALS data.
All statistical surveys are susceptible to a certain percentage of non-response among the selected sample. A total non-response occurs when, for one reason or another, a selected respondent could not be interviewed. The non-response is said to be partial if only part of the questionnaire is complete. The impact of non-response errors on estimates depends on the level of non-response and particularly, on any differences between the characteristics of respondents and non-respondents. In principle, the more marked these differences, the greater the impact on the accuracy of the estimates.
With respect to HALS, the response rate (90%) compares favourably with the rate generally observed for this type of survey. In addition, various methods have been used to reduce the bias caused by any total non-responses, notably by adjusting the data to reflect the distribution of certain demographic characteristics obtained by the census. As well, response rates were higher for most specific questions. In tables, non-responses appear in the column labeled 'Unknown' or 'Not stated'.
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