Toward improved health for Ontario’s First Nations:

The Aboriginal People’s SurveyA presentation to the Association of Local Public Health Agencies

February 8, 2008

Chantelle Richmond, Ph.D.Post-doctoral Fellow (U of T, Public Health Sciences)

Adjunct Professor (UWO, Geography & First Nations Studies)

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Outline of topics What is the Aboriginal

People’s Survey?

What does the APS measure?

How can you access the APS data?

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The Aboriginal People’s Survey (1) A post censal survey conducted by Statistics

Canada (1991, 2001, 2006 underway) The report of the Royal Commission on

Aboriginal Peoples relied heavily on the 1991 APS data

Survey developed in consultation with national Aboriginal organizations, federal departments, provincial and territorial groups

All data collected under the authority of the Statistics Act Data owned by Statistics Canada

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The Aboriginal People’s Survey (2) The APS respondents represent diverse

segments of the Aboriginal population (who report First Nation, Métis, Inuit ancestry and identity) Geographic levels include on-reserve & off-reserve

First Nations, Métis settlements, Inuit communities, urban, rural, Northern Aboriginal peoples

In total, 217 communities participated (> 120,000)

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The Aboriginal People’s Survey (3) 22 communities were incompletely enumerated

by the APS (5,455 individuals) Refusal to participate, data collection interrupted

40 other communities incompletely enumerated by 2001 Census

First Nations on-reserve sample not statistically representative or aggregated to the population level

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Objectives of the 2001 APS To provide data on the social and

economic conditions of Aboriginal people in Canada

To identify needs and priorities within the Aboriginal population

APS Concepts and Methods Guide: http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/89-591-XIE/89-591-XIE2003001.pdf

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APS Core Survey Content Education Language Health Labour Activity Income Schooling Housing Mobility

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APS Data Collection Tools Personal and telephone interviews with

residents of private dwellings Four Survey Instruments

1. Children and youth survey (0-14 years old)

2. Adult core survey (all adults 15 and over)

3. Arctic Supplement (Inuit community residents)

4. Métis Supplement (Métis identity/ancestry)

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Strategies for accessing APS data

1. Perform your own data analysis at a Statistics Canada Research Data Centre

2. Use the 2001 APS Community Profiles

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Statistics Canada’s Research Data Centres (RDC’s) (1) RDC’s provide researchers with access, in a

secure university setting, to microdata from population and household surveys undetaken by Statistics Canada

StatCan datasets more readily available 14 RDC’s across Canada Staffed by StatCan employees Projects must first be be approved Researchers are ‘deemed employees’ and

must abide by the Statistics Act

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Statistics Canada’s Research Data Centres (RDC’s) (2) RDC’s in Ontario

1. Carleton, Ottawa, Outaouais Local Research Data Centre (COOL RDC) University of Ottawa, Carleton University

2. Queen's University Research Data Centre3. Toronto Regional Statistics Canada RDC

University of Toronto, Ryerson University, York University

4. McMaster University Research Data Centre5. South Western Ontario Research Data Centre

University of Waterloo, Laurentian University

6. University of Western Ontario Research Data Centre

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The 2001 APS Community Profiles Web address:

http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01aps/home.cfm Information on Aboriginal identity population for

select communities where population > 200 Data available at the community level for:

Children General health, health care utilization, medical conditions,

physical injuries, dental care, education and social activities, language, childcare arrangements

Adults Education, language, labour activity, health communication

technology, mobility, housing

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AN EXAMPLE FROM THE APS COMMUNITY PROFILESGeneral Health Characteristics (Adult)

Garden River 14

Fort William 52

Self-rated health   % of adults who say their health is:

    Excellent or very good 59 38

    Good 31 32

    Fair or poor 6 32

% of adults who saw or talked on telephone about physical, emotional or mental health in past 12 months to:  

Family doctor or general practitioner 59 78

Traditional healer 16 X

Nurse 31 41

Dentist or Orthodontist 55 54

Other health professional 45 70

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AN EXAMPLE FROM THE APS COMMUNITY PROFILESChild Education and Social Activities

Child Education: Garden River 14 Fort William 52

% of children (6-14 years) attending school  

100 92

% of children (6-14 years) who attended an early childhood development or preschool program  

50 38

% of children (6-14 years) who attended Aboriginal specific early childhood development or preschool program

86 X

Average number of hours children watch TV and/or play video games per day  

4 4

How often child plays sports per week:

Never or less than once (%) X 25

One or more times (%) 83 75

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Summary of the APS The APS is a rich source of data on the Aboriginal

population of Canada APS data can be used to inform the health and social

needs of Aboriginal peoples in Ontario and for targeting health care programming

Limitations relate to population or regional aggregation of First Nation on-reserve population Community-level profiles are useful for

understanding local conditions A need to integrate information from other sources

(i.e., the Regional Health Survey) and from other methods as well (e.g., qualitative approaches)

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Thanks for listening/ Miigwetch!

Comments/questions:

Chantelle Richmond, Ph.D.Department of Geography &

The First Nations Studies ProgramThe University of Western Ontario

1151 Richmond StreetLondon, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5C2

Tel: 519 661-2111, ext. 85324Fax: 519 661-3750

E-mail: chantelle.richmond@uwo.ca