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Canadian Health Measures Survey

Brief Overview

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Abstract

The Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) was developed to address important data gaps and limitations in existing health information by collecting directly measured indicators of health and wellness on a representative sample of approximately 5,000 Canadians aged 6–79 years. The CHMS includes an in-home general health interview and a subsequent clinic visit where direct physical measures of health are taken (anthropometry, spirometry, blood pressure, fitness, physical activity, oral health examination, blood and urine specimens) in mobile clinics. Reference laboratories are used to analyze biological specimens for indicators of general health, chronic disease, infectious disease and environmental biomarkers and to store biospecimens for future research. This paper provides a brief overview of the survey sampling, methodological, operational, logistical, ethical, legal and social issues and procedures related to the CHMS.

Résumé

L’Enquête canadienne sur les mesures de la santé (ECMS) vise à éliminer d’importantes contraintes et lacunes statistiques dans l’information sanitaire actuelle en obtenant des indicateurs de la santé et du bien-être à partir de mesures concrètes auprès d’un échantillon représentatif d’environ 5 000 Canadiens âgés de 6 à 79 ans. L’ECMS comporte un entretien général sur la santé mené à domicile, suivi d’une visite dans une unité sanitaire mobile où l’on prend les mesures physiques du répondant (anthropométrie, spirométrie, pression artérielle, forme physique, activité physique, examen bucco-dentaire, prélèvements de sang et d’urine). Des laboratoires de référence déterminent ensuite, à partir des prélèvements biologiques, les indicateurs de la santé générale, des maladies chroniques, des maladies infectieuses et des biomarqueurs environnementaux et stockent les spécimens biologiques pour les besoins de la recherche future. Dans cet article, nous donnons un bref aperçu de l’échantillonnage de l’enquête et des enjeux et procédures méthodologiques, opérationnels, logistiques, éthiques, juridiques et sociaux qui s’y rapportent.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Statistics Canada, Room 0005, Main Building, Tunney’s Pasture, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0T6, Canada

    Mark S. Tremblay PhD (Senior Scientific Advisor on Health Measurement)

  2. Health Measurement and Analysis Group, Statistics Canada, Canada

    Sarah Connor Gorber MA

Authors
  1. Mark S. Tremblay PhD
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  2. Sarah Connor Gorber MA
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark S. Tremblay PhD.

Additional information

Disclaimer: This paper represents a brief summary of five detailed background papers written on the Canadian Health Measures Survey and published in a supplemental issue of Statistics Canada’s journal Health Reports (Statistics Canada, Catalogue 82-003) (available at www.statcan.ca/cgi-bin/ downpub/freepub.cgi).

Acknowledgements: The Canadian Health Measures Survey was developed in partnership with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada and with the assistance of several advisory committees, stakeholders, experts, reviewers and supporters. The authors would like to acknowledge all of the CHMS staff, whose collective efforts led to the successful launch of the survey in March 2007.

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Tremblay, M.S., Gorber, S.C. Canadian Health Measures Survey. Can J Public Health 98, 453–456 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03405437

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03405437

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