Canadians Living Longer, Healthier Lives: Healthy Canadians 2010 Report

News Release
2011-166
December 07, 2011
For immediate release

OTTAWA - Health Canada has released Healthy Canadians - a Federal Report on Comparable Health Indicators 2010.  Findings show that most Canadians remain satisfied with health-care services and consider themselves to be in good health generally. 

"I am extremely gratified to learn that most Canadians continue to be satisfied overall with health care services they receive," said the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health. "Since our last report in 2008, levels of physical activity have increased and more Canadians report their health as excellent or very good."

"While this is encouraging, more work has to be done in several areas, such as reducing obesity and wait times for health care services," added Minister Aglukkaq.

This report also shows progress in a number of areas, including life expectancy and reduced smoking rates among teenagers. Highlights include:

• 81% of Canadians 18 years and older continue to report being 'very satisfied' or 'somewhat satisfied' with overall health care services received in the past year (2009).
• A majority of Canadians (62.2%), 12 years and older, consider themselves to be in 'very good' or 'excellent' health (2009)
• In 2005-07, life expectancy for Canadian men was 78.3 years, an increase from 76.6 in 1999-2001. Life expectancy for women was 83.0 years in 2005-07, an increase from 81.9 years in 1999-2001.
• Teenage smoking has dropped; 11.0% of 12-to-19-year-olds said they were current smokers, compared to 14.9% in 2003.
• Incidents of arthritis, lung and breast cancer have decreased overall, except for the incidence of lung cancer in women which increased slightly in 2007.
• The number of people diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes increased.
• More than half of Canadians over 12 said they were active or moderately active.

Information was gathered from Statistics Canada, the Canadian Institute for Health Information, and the Public Health Agency of Canada. The report is available on Health Canada's website.

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Media Enquiries:
Health Canada
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Cailin Rodgers
Office of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq
Federal Minister of Health
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