National Population Health Survey: North Component (NPHS)

Detailed information for 1994-1995

The National Population Health Survey (NPHS) collects information related to the health of the Canadian population and related socio-demographic information.

• Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s)
• Description
• Data sources and methodology

Description

In the fall of 1991, the National Health Information Council recommended that an ongoing national survey of population health be conducted. This recommendation was based on consideration of the economic and fiscal pressures on the health care systems and the commensurate requirement for information with which to improve the health status of the population in Canada. Commencing in April 1992, Statistics Canada received funding for development of a National Population Health Survey (NPHS).

The objectives of the NPHS are to:
- aid in the development of public policy by providing measures of the level, trend and distribution of the health status of the population;
- provide data for analytic studies that will assist in understanding the determinants of health;
- collect data on the economic, social, demographic, occupational and environmental correlates of health;
- increase the understanding of the relationship between health status and health care utilization, including alternative as well as traditional services;
- provide information on a panel of people who will be followed over time to reflect the dynamic process of health and illness;
- provide the provinces and territories and other clients with a health survey capacity that will permit supplementation of content or sample;
- allow the possibility of linking survey data to routinely collected administrative data such as vital statistics, environmental measures, community variables, and health services utilization.

The NPHS collects information related to the health of the Canadian population and related socio-demographic information. It is composed of three components: the Household, the Health Institutions, and the North components. Please note that the documentation for each of the NPHS components is presented separately.

The NPHS North component started in 1994-1995. Data for this component are obtained through a separate survey due to the special challenges of survey taking in Canada's North. Collection operations were carried out by the Statistical Bureaus in Yukon and Northwest Territories with funding provided by Statistics Canada. Data processing was performed by Statistics Canada. Most of the core content from the NPHS Household component was included in the North component questionnaire.

The North component was both cross-sectional and longitudinal in nature.

Subjects

• Children and youth
• Health
• Health and disability among seniors
• Health and well-being
• Health and well-being (youth)
• Health care services
• Health status and access to health care
• Immigration and ethnocultural diversity (formerly Ethnic diversity and immigration)
• Indigenous peoples (formerly Aboriginal peoples)
• Lifestyle and social conditions
• Older adults and population aging (formerly Seniors)

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The target population of the Yukon/NWT NPHS survey included household residents living in private occupied dwellings located in the two territories, with the exclusion of populations on Indian Reserves, Canadian Forces Bases and in institutions. Moreover, persons living in unorganized areas in the Yukon (13% of the population) and persons living in unorganized areas, very small or extreme northern communities of the NWT (4.9% of the population) were also excluded from the target population.

In each selected household in the North, demographic information was collected from all household members, then one person, aged 12 years and over, was randomly selected for a more in-depth interview. The questionnaire included components on health status, use of health services, risk factors and demographic and socio-economic status.

Sampling

This is a sample survey with a longitudinal design.

The sample design used for the Yukon/NWT household component of the NPHS was a stratified design with an independent sample selection process within each stratum. For the first two strata of the Yukon, the sample of households was selected through the use of a Random Digit Dialing (RDD) collection mode. RDD was implemented using the Elimination of Non-Working Banks Method, which gives rise to a simple random sample (without replacement) of residential telephone lines within each stratum. For the remaining three strata of the Yukon and for every stratum in the NWT, a simple random sample (without replacement) of dwellings was selected from a list frame of addresses in each community.

The NPHS longitudinal panel is comprised of persons. Up to this point, the sample design involved the selection of a household, which was the first stage of the sample design. Within each household selected for the NPHS component, one person was randomly chosen for the longitudinal panel. This represented the second stage of the sample design. Everyone in the household had an equal chance of being selected. With the use of random numbers printed on a label affixed to the questionnaire, the interviewer selected one person within the household and conducted the interview.