Report for download:

http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=PG_336_E&cw_topic=336&cw_rel=AR_342_E

News release:

http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=media_27oct2004_e

October 27, 2004—A new study on women's health published today shows
that the vast majority of women immigrants report good to excellent
health for the two years following their arrival in Canada—but this
sense of positive health diminishes over time. In 2000–2001, immigrant
women who had been in Canada at least 10 years were 30% more likely to
report fair or poor health than Canadian-born women—even after taking
into account a variety of demographic, social and economic factors. In
contrast, immigrant men who had been in Canada for at least 10 years
were about as likely as Canadian-born men to report fair or poor
health.

These findings appear as part of three new chapters of The Women's
Health Surveillance Report, a report that was jointly funded by the
Canadian Population Health Initiative and Health Canada and originally
published in September 2003. This report features some of the latest
research on women's health in Canada written by experts from across
the country. These new chapters focus on three issues: ethnicity and
immigration, health care utilization and the relationship between
income and health.

"Migration to a new country can have a profound impact on a woman's
health," says Bilkis Vissandjee, researcher at the School of Nursing
Sciences, University of Montreal. "Immigrant women are often
vulnerable to the stress that comes from meeting the basic needs of
their families in a new country, learning a new language and the
social isolation that comes from leaving family and friends behind."

The rate of reporting good to excellent health drops most notably for
immigrant women in low-income households: 93% of recent female
immigrants in low-income households rated their health as good to
excellent, compared to a rate of 73% of immigrant women in low-income
households who had resided in Canada 10 years or more, and 79% of
Canadian-born women in low-income households. The fact that immigrants
who have been in Canada for some time are more likely to self-assess
their health negatively may be explained, in part, by the effects of
aging. However, immigrants in higher-income households report good to
excellent health at similar rates to Canadian-born individuals: 95% in
the first two years of residency in Canada, and then 87% after living
in Canada a decade or more—compared to 93% of Canadian-born women in
high-income households.
"Learning how economic and social status relate to health helps us to
understand why some groups of people are healthy and others are not,"
says Jennifer Zelmer, CIHI's Vice-President of Research and Analysis.
"Increasing our knowledge of how migration influences health, for
example, can give us important insights into how to improve the health
of all Canadians."

Other Key Findings On Women's Health

    * While most Canadians (88% in 2000–2001) reported having a
regular medical doctor, there was variation between men and women: 16%
of the men, versus 9% of the women, reported having no regular doctor.
The reasons for not having a regular doctor differed between men and
women.
    * In 2001, average wait times for non-emergency MRIs, CT scans and
angiographies were significantly higher for women than for men: 53
days for women compared to 31 days for men.
    * Rural women aged 50 to 69 were slightly more likely to report
having obtained a mammogram less than two years previously than urban
women in 2000–2001. (Note: The Canadian Task Force on Preventive
Health Care recommends a screening mammogram at least once every two
years for women aged 50 to 69.)
    * In contrast, urban women aged 18 years and older were more
likely (60% compared to 56% of rural-based women) to report having had
a Pap smear less than a year ago. (Note: The Canadian Task Force on
Preventive Health Care recommends that Canadian women have an annual
Pap test once they are sexually active, or over age 18. After two
normal tests, screening frequency can be reduced to every three years,
until the age of 69.)
    * Adjusting for a variety of socio-economic variables, women
homemakers were less likely to report chronic health conditions (such
as diabetes or heart disease) than full-time employed women in
2000–2001—but, at the same time, they were more likely to report
poorer self-perceived health.

Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI)

The Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI) is part of the
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). CPHI supports
research to advance knowledge on the determinants of health in Canada
and to develop policy options to improve population health and reduce
health inequalities.

Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) is an
independent, pan-Canadian, not-for-profit organization working to
improve the health of Canadians and the health care system by
providing quality health information. CIHI's mandate, as established
by Canada's health ministers, is to coordinate the development and
maintenance of a common approach to health information for Canada. To
this end, CIHI is responsible for providing accurate and timely
information that is needed to establish sound health policies, manage
the Canadian health system effectively and create public awareness of
factors affecting good health.

Report

    * Information about: Women's Health Surveillance Report -
Supplementary Chapters

Contact

Anick Losier
Media Relations
Tel.: (613) 241-7860, ext. 4004
Cell: (613) 294-9544
[log in to unmask]

Leona Hollingsworth
Media Relations
Tel.: (613) 241-7860, ext. 4004
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