Joint Canada/United States Survey of Health: An Overview and First Results

Edward Ng, Statistics Canada
François Gendron, Statistics Canada
Claudia Sanmartin, Statistics Canada
Jean-Marie Berthelot, Statistics Canada
Debra L. Blackwell, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CDC
Jane Gentleman, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CDC
Michael Martinez, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CDC
Catherine Simile, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CDC

International comparisons of health are often hampered by important differences in key aspects such as survey instrument, data collection methods, etc. The 2003 Joint Canada/US Survey of Health (JCUSH) represents the first time the same survey is conducted by national statistical offices to measure the health of both Canadian and US citizens, using standardized methodology. This presentation will briefly review the procedural and the methodological lessons learned in conducting JCUSH, and to discuss some of the first results obtained in the subsequent analyzes. For example, we will show comparisons between Canada and the United States of health status such as self-perceived health and mobility limitation, health risk behaviors such as smoking and body mass index and health care utilization such as unmet needs and visit to doctor or dentist. We also examine how these measures vary by important socio-demographic dimensions such as income and insurance status, where appropriate.