Surveillance & Health Indicator Reports

Population and public health surveillance is the ongoing, systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of evidence and data for use in planning, implementing and evaluating health practice and policy.

Health indicators, one element of surveillance, are standardized measures to compare health status and health system performance.

Topics for surveillance and health indicator work can include:

• the overall health of the population served
• non-medical determinants of health in a region
• health services received by a region's residents
• characteristics of the community or the health system (for contextual information)

PPH conducts surveillance, evidence review and health indicator activities for the projects listed on this website as well as for other stakeholders and initiatives. See the documents below for more information.

Indicators

• Population and Public Health Indicators for British Columbia (2008) 
• Indicators for a Healthy Built Environment in BC

Reports (Evidence Reviews and Surveillance)

• Status Report on the British Columbia Paediatric Diabetes Program - October 2010
• Summary Report on Health for British Columbia from Regional, Longitudinal and Gender Perspectives (March 2010)

These reports were developed under PHSA’s former Prevention, Promotion & Protection Strategic Direction in consultation with government and health authorities:

• Local-Level Data on Income and Poverty for BC from 2006 Census (October 2008)
• Identifying Determinants for Hospitalization Based on Healthcare Utilization Records (June 2008)
• Life Expectancy as a Measure of Population Health: Comparing British Columbia with Other Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Host Jurisdictions Summary Report (April 2007)
• A Review of Policy Options for Increasing Food Security and Income Security in British Columbia (2007)
• British Columbia Health and Wellness Survey (BCHWS) Descriptive Report (January 2007)
• Aboriginal Health Data Discussion (2007) - The presentations in this section are from the meeting of the Population and Public Health Evidence and Data Expert Group (PPHEDEG), Aboriginal Health Data Discussion held on October 25, 2007. The presentations were made by Federal and Provincial Government officials as well as First Nations and Métis representatives
• BC First Nations People and Health Data
• Métis Nation Health Data
• OCAP and Governance
• Population and Public Health Evidence and Data Expert Group Aboriginal Health Data Discussion
• Health Indicators PHO Report 2001 – The Health & Well-being of Aboriginal People in BC
• Provincial Aboriginal Health Data
• First Nations Regional Health Survey Longitudinal Survey

Women’s Health - synthesizing evidence on women’s health issues to facilitate action to address them. For more information:

• Women’s Respiratory Health: An Evidence Review (2008)
• Women’s Heart Health: An Evidence Review (2008)
• Type 2 Diabetes and Women’s Health in British Columbia (2008)
• Women's Health Summary - Respiratory Disease
• Women's Health Summary - Heart Disease
• Women's Health Summary - Diabetes
• Women's Health Summary - Research Context

Health Assessment of School-Aged Children (HASAC)- A feasibility study completed in May 2009 that provided participating schools with the data they need to assess the health status of their students and assist them in planning healthy school activities, and to begin the process of collecting useful health surveillance data on school aged children (grade 6). The health assessment process consisted of two parts 1) a student questionnaire based on the School Health Action, Planning and Evaluation System (SHAPES) developed by the Centre for Behavioural Research & Program Evaluation (CBRPE) at the University of Waterloo, and 2) height and weight measurements. Schools were provided with reports on the outcome of their assessments.

For more information:

• HASAC Fact Sheet 08-09
• HASAC Questionnaire 08-09
• HASAC All-Schools Report 08-09 ( a synthesis of results from 19 participating schools)

Reports Pre-2007:

• Creating Healthy Health Care Workplaces in British Columbia: Evidence for Action (2006)
• Environmental Tobacco Smoke in Indoor and Outdoor Public Places (2006)
• Tobacco Reduction in the Context of Mental Illness – A Review of the Evidence (2006)
• Towards a PHSA Contribution to Prevention and Control of Tobacco Use in BC (2005)
• A Review of Better Practices for the Prevention of Obesity and Overweight and the Maintenance of Healthy Weights (2005)