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Self-rated health
Domain
Health
Subdomain
Healthy people
Indicator
Self-rated health
Definition
Proportion of the population by perceived health.
Measurement
Self-rated health, also referred to as perceived health, is an indicator of overall health status. Self-rated health refers to the perception of a person's health in general, either by the person themselves, or, in the case of proxy response, by the person responding to the survey questionnaire on behalf of the intended respondent. Health means not only the absence of disease or injury but also physical, mental and social well-being. Self-rated health reflects aspects of health not captured in other measures, such as: incipient disease, disease severity, aspects of positive health status, physiological and psychological reserves and social and mental function.
This indicator is measured in a number of Statistics Canada surveys.
In the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), the Canadian Social Survey (CSS), and the Survey Series on People and their Communities (SSPC), and , survey respondents are asked:
In general, how is your health?
- Excellent
- Very good
- Good
- Fair
- Poor
Data sources
This indicator is measured through multiple Statistics Canada surveys. Estimates can vary between data sources due to differences in reference periods, targeted or sampled populations, data collection and other methodology.
Surveys that measure this indicator include, but are not limited to:
- Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)
- Canadian Social Survey (CSS)
- Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS)
- Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS)
- Canadian Housing Survey (CHS)
- General Social Survey (GSS) - Social Identity
- General Social Survey (GSS) - Canadians' Safety (Victimization)
- General Social Survey (GSS) - Canadians at Work and Home
- Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD)
- Canadian Internet Use Survey (CIUS)
- Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS)
- Survey on Access to Health Care and Pharmaceuticals During the Pandemic (SAHCPDP)
- Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY)
- Survey on Mental Health and Stressful Events (SMHSE)
- Survey Series on People and their Communities (SSPC)
Data visualizations
- Having someone to count on (Statistics Canada – Infographics, August 9, 2022)
- Sense of meaning and purpose in Canada (Statistics Canada – Infographics, March 30, 2022)
- Portrait of Youth in Canada: Physical Health & Behaviours (Statistics Canada – Infographics, February 1, 2021)
Data analysis
- Self-reported oral health problems in the Canadian population living in the provinces, November 2023 to March 2024 (The Daily, October 23, 2024)
- 2023 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth — Changes in the mental health of respondents from the 2019 survey (The Daily, September 10, 2024)
- Health of Canadians – Health outcomes (Health of Canadians, September 13, 2023)
- Chinese New Year and quality of life among Chinese in Canada (StatsCAN Plus, January 24, 2023)
- Having someone to count on, January to March, 2022 (The Daily, August 9, 2022)
- Health of youth in Canada (Portrait of Youth in Canada: Data Report, February 1, 2021)
- The changes in health and well-being of Canadians with long-term conditions or disabilities since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (COVID-19: A Data Perspective, October 7, 2020)
Frameworks
This indicator aligns with the following frameworks:
- Canadian Indicator Framework (CIF) for the Sustainable Development Goals
- Social inclusion indicators for Canada's ethnocultural groups
- Health and well-being
- Perceived health, very good or excellent
- Perceived health, fair or poor
- Health and well-being
- 2022 to 2026 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS)
- FSDS Goal 3 – Support mental health and adopt healthy behaviours
- FSDS Contextual Indicator – Percentage of Canadians who perceived their overall health and social well-being as very good to excellent
- FSDS Goal 3 – Support mental health and adopt healthy behaviours
- Date modified: