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. 2002 Nov-Dec;93 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S15-20.
doi: 10.1007/BF03403613.

Embedding child health within a framework of regional health: population health status and sociodemographic indicators

Patricia J Martens  1 , Norman Frohlich, K C Carriere, Shelley Derksen, Marni Brownell
Affiliations

Embedding child health within a framework of regional health: population health status and sociodemographic indicators

Patricia J Martens et al. Can J Public Health. 2002 Nov-Dec.

Abstract
in English, French

Objective: The description of regional variation in children's health requires regional population-based context. But what is the best way to measure the health of a region's population?

Methods: The use of two indicators is described--one a health status measure and the other a measure of socioeconomic wellbeing. It is well known that the population's premature mortality rate (PMR), the age/sex-adjusted rate of death before age 75 years, is highly related to overall health status of an area's residents. Socioeconomic characteristics of an area's residents are also indicative (and likely causative) of health status differences.

Results: The Socioeconomic Factor Index (SEFI) was developed at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, using a Principal Components Analysis of census data. PMR and SEFI are highly correlated (Spearman's correlation coefficient r = 0.85, p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: PMR can be used as a surrogate measure for both the health status and socioeconomic well-being of regional populations in Manitoba.

Objectif: les écarts régionaux dans la santé des enfants doivent être étudiés dans un contexte régional représentatif. Mais quelle est la meilleure mesure de l’état de santé d’une population?

Méthode: On décrit l’utilisation de deux indicateurs; l’un mesure l’état de santé, et l’autre, le bienêtre socio-économique. Comme on le sait, le TMP d’une population donnée - son taux de décès avant 75 ans ajusté selon l’âge et le sexe - est fortement lié à l’état de santé global de cette population. Les caractéristiques socio-économiques des habitants d’une région sont également des indicateurs (et sans doute des facteurs causals) des écarts dans l’état de santé.

Résultats: À l’aide d’une analyse en composantes principales des données du recensement, le Centre d’élaboration et d’évaluation de la politique des soins de santé du Manitoba a mis au point un « indice des facteurs socio-économiques » (SEFI). Le TMP et le SEFI sont fortement corrélés (r=0,85, p<0,0001 selon le coefficient de corrélation de Spearman).

Conclusion: le TMP peut servir de mesure auxiliaire, tant pour déterminer l’état de santé que le bien-être socio-économique des populations régionales du Manitoba.

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