Demographics

The age and sex distribution of the population in the community impacts the infrastructure supports and services needed in the community. For example, older adults and young families especially benefit from age-friendly public spaces, like well-maintained sidewalks and rest areas.

A diverse community is a vibrant community. Different population groups often have different opportunities and challenges in maintaining or improving their health. For example, Indigenous people and new immigrants often face barriers to accessing health services and sustaining health and wellness.

Understanding the unique needs of various cultural groups and people who speak other languages is important for improving overall health in the community.

Household composition describes characteristics of a person or a group of people who live within the same place of residence. Characteristics such as marital status, single-parent households and average household size have been found to be related to health and well-being.^[2]

For instance, research has shown consistently that married individuals report better overall health and mortality outcomes than unmarried individuals.^[3] Children who are raised in households with two parents also tend to have fewer mental and physical health problems than children in one-parent households.^[4]

Housing refers to an individual’s living space and can range from private residences to collective dwellings to shelters. Characteristics of a community’s housing situation can provide some insight on the health status and needs of that community. For instance, it has been shown that spending 30% or more of a household’s income on housing is considered “unaffordable”. Housing costs may include mortgage payments, bills, property tax or other maintenance fees.^[5] Households spending 30% of their income on housing are less able to afford healthy food and other basic living costs.

Individuals who require major repairs or restoration to their dwellings may be indicative of an inadequate or poor housing situation.^[5,6] Research has found that unaffordable or inadequate housing can negatively impact physical, mental, developmental and social health. Individuals may not have the necessary income or resources to repair their dwelling, which could add more situational stress and lead to poorer health. Major repairs could include defective plumbing or electrical wiring, or repairs needed to structures such as floors and walls.

Mobility (Census of population, Statistics Canada, 2016)

Mobility refers to an individual’s geographic movements over time. It is often classified by identifying an individual’s place of residence on a certain day (known as the reference date) and comparing that to the place of residence for the individual on the same reference date at an earlier time period.^[7]