Information Sources

Focus: The Census

October 2007S.Mowers and the GSG team

For NSG 3145, Prof. D. Smith

Outline

Introduction– Statistical sources – How to cite Statistique Canada Products

• The Census – SEE MODULE 1 Finding Census Tracts (neighbourhoods) using

“GeoSearch”– SEE MODULE 2 Steps for Finding socio-demographic statistics

from the 2001 Census by census tract– SEE MODULE 3 Community Profiles : Provinces and Cities and

• Comparing Community Profiles and E-STAT– From Data to Statistics

• Health Statistics and related publicationsNote: official, sector/trade, academic and popular sources all have different

levels of authority

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INTRODUCTION

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Official Statistical Agencies

Governments and international agencies produce a lot of statistics

Most governments have an official agency to carry surveys, gather data (e.g., from the provinces, analyse data, develop statistical products and publish their results

E.g.:

– Statistics Canada– U.S. Census Bureau– Office for National Statistics (UK)

• The University of Ottawa is a member of the Data Liberation Initiative – DLI between the Library and Statistics Canada

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OFFICIAL STATISTICAL SOURCESMajor Government Departments and Agencies Publishing

Studies and Information on Health*

• Health Canada…

• Public Health Agency of Canada

• Statistics Canada …– Analytical Studies

• Canadian Institute for Health Information

• Provincial/Territorial Ministries of Health

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research

• Pan American Health Organization

• World Health Organization *page thanks to T. Rokolj, U.Ottawa librarian, GSG

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Assessing Statistical Sources

• Who is collecting the data?

– What is their reputation for accuracy and objectivity ?

• Can you review their data and methodology? Does the provider make the informaton available?

• Who is the sponsor of the data collection?

– What is their agenda? • E.g., the National Rifle Association or a toothpaste manufacturer have defined

agendas

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Statistics in Popular Press

Ottawa Citizen, August 02, 2007 (OFFICIAL SOURCE GIVEN in article)

“Obesity has spread across North America over the last couple of generations like a virus. From 1979 to 2004, the prevalence of obesity in Canadian adults went from 14 per cent to 23 per cent.”

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Statistics from Official Source

The Daily, Statistics Canada, July 6, 2007

Canadian Community Health Survey

Obesity among children and adults, 2004

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So, statistics can be presented in many ways, as…

- a table of numbers, - a few numbers in a newspaper article etc,- a graph, *

*see Graph types and …

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… AS A MAP

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How to Cite Statistics Canada products

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How to Cite Statistics Canada Products

Example : Census table from E-Stat

Statistics Canada. n.d. 2001 School Attendance, Education, Field of Study, Highest Level of Schooling and Earnings, 2001, Manitoba Census Subdivisions (table). 2001 Census of Canada (Provinces, Census Divisions, Municipalities) (database). Using E-STAT (distributor). Version updated July 5, 2004.http://estat.statcan.ca/cgi-win/CNSMCGI.EXE?ESTATFILE=EStat\English\E-Main.htm (accessed August 16, 2005).

Main Web page for How to Cite Statistics Canada Products • http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/12-591-XIE/12-591-XIE2006001.htm

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Part II: The Census

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2006 Census: Not yet completed …

http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/release/index.cfm

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The Census of Population

by Census Tracts…

SEE MODULES 1 and 2

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The Census of Population

by Provinces and Cities…

SEE MODULE 3

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The Census, from collection to release …

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The Census

From your mailbox:

May 16, 2006

… to coffee break talk

September 13, 2007

Married people now in the minority; For the first time in Canada, most adults are not legally wed, census shows. …more people are choosing common law over marriage."

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In other words,

from DATA TO STATISTICS …

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Where do we get statistics from?

From DATA

They are processed to become…

…Statistics

Person 1…2

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PART III: Health

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Health statistics - background

From Survey dataCanadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), 2000/2001- Current

National Population Health Survey (NPHS), 1994/95 – Current

(including of course, the Census of Population, and many others)

http://www.statcan.ca/cgi-bin/spider/dli.cgi

DLI Contact: Smowers@uottawa.ca

From Administrative data (hospitals, community health centres, vital statistics…)

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HEALTH STATISTICS

One stop access:

• Library Web page for Health-related Statistical Resources,

on Health Sciences Library Web page …

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Go to the Health Sciences Library Web site …

http://www.biblio.uottawa.ca/section-home.php?g=en&s=rgn&c=home

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For Statistics Canada publications or more generally …

Further browsing

Index of downloadable Statistics Canada publications

Searching tip

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Use your power searching everwhere!

For example, on StatCan’s search (Advanced Search) feature…

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research assistance at your service!

Appointments welcomed

Susan Mowers and GSG Team

Morisset Library

3rd Floor

smowers@uottawa.ca613-562-5800 Extension 3634

AND THANK YOU!