Functional health status

Proportion of the population by overall functional health, based on 8 dimensions of functioning (vision, hearing, speech, mobility, dexterity, feelings, cognition and pain).

This indicator is derived from information collected in the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS).

This measure uses the Health Utilities Index (HUI) which is a multi-attribute health status classification system originally developed at McMaster University for measuring generic health status and health-related quality of life. The HUI considers the responses to health questions that cover 8 dimensions of functioning (vision, hearing, speech, mobility, dexterity, feelings, cognition and pain).

The version of the HUI used by the CCHS has been adapted from the HUI Mark 3 (HUI3). The questions are slightly different than the original HUI3. This instrument allows the calculation of a generic health status index based on attributes found in two different CCHS modules: the Health utilities index (HUI) and Health utilities index - Pain and discomfort (HUP). More information can be found in the following article by Feeny et al. (2002): Multi-attribute and single-attribute utility functions for the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 system.

People reporting chronic conditions, activity restrictions, and fair/poor self-rated health (general and mental) were more likely to be in the moderate and severe disability categories.

• Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)
  • Table 13-10-0451-01 – Health indicators, annual estimates, 2003 - 2014
  • Table 13-10-0611-01 – Functional health status, by age group and sex, household population aged 12 years and over, Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS 2.1 and 3.1), Canada, provinces and territories
  • Table 13-10-0464-01 – Health indicators, two-year period estimates, census metropolitan areas

• Functional health difficulties among lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Canada (Studies on Gender and Intersecting Identities, November 8, 2023)
• Health Utilities Index Mark 3 Scores for Major Chronic Conditions: Population Norms for Canada Based on the 2013 and 2014 Canadian Community Health Survey (Health Reports, November 21, 2018)

More information on the Health Utilities Index (HUI) can be found in the following article by Horsman et al. (2003): The Health Utilities Index (HUI): concepts, measurement properties and applications