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Glossary:
Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
Treatments that aim to prevent the development of rabies in a person who has been bitten or scratched by a potentially rabid animal. This includes receiving rabies immunoglobulin (a blood product containing rabies antibodies) and/or a series of rabies vaccines, so that the person’s body mounts an immune response against the rabies virus that may be present.
Rate (Unadjusted or Crude)
Total number of events (e.g., deaths, births, hospitalizations) divided by the total population for a given time period and geography.
If one is interested in knowing the true event rates in a particular geographic area then unadjusted or crude rate should be used instead of age standardized rate.
Residential Instability
This measure refers to area-level concentrations of people who experience high rates of family or housing instability. The indicators included in this dimension measure the types and density of residential accommodations, as well as certain family structure characteristics such as proportion of the population who are single/ divorced/ widowed. It is one of the components of the Ontario Marginalization Index 1
1. Matheson, FI; Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario). 2016 Ontario marginalization index: user guide. Toronto, ON: Providence St. Joseph’s and St. Michael’s Healthcare; 2018. Joint publication with Public Health Ontario. Available from: https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/eRepository/userguide-on-marg.pdf
Respiratory Diseases
‘Chronic respiratory diseases are chronic diseases of the airways and other parts of the lung. Some of the most common are asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, cystic fibrosis, sleep apnea and occupational lung diseases. Respiratory diseases affect all ages-children, teens, adults and seniors.’ Public Health Agency of Canada 2011 http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cd-mc/crd-mrc/index-eng.php
Respiratory infections
Respiratory infections usually effect the lungs and other parts of the breathing system. Some respiratory diseases, like tuberculosis or blastomycosis, can cause infections in other parts of the body as well. Respiratory infections can be spread from an infected person to others through coughing, sneezing, or prolonged face-to-face interactions.
Rural Area
Rural areas (RAs) include all territory lying outside population centres. Taken together, population centres and rural areas cover all of Canada. Rural population also includes all population living in rural areas of cities such as the City of London, as well as population living in rural areas outside of cities1
1.Statistics Canada. Population Centre and Rural Area Classification 2016 [Internet]. Ottawa. Ministry of Industry; 2017 Feb 8. Available from: www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/subjects/standard/pcrac/2016/introduction
Sedentary behaviour
Time spent in the last seven days doing sedentary activities such as using a computer (including playing computer games), using the Internet, playing video games and watching television or videos. For all activities, the time spent at school or work is excluded. Time spent reading is not included.
Self-harm injuries
The group of injuries included in this category for emergency room visits are those where the individual purposely inflicted poisoning or injury on themselves. It also includes attempted suicide.
Self-perceived health
Population aged 12 and over who rated their own health as either excellent or very good when asked, “In general, how would you say your health is: excellent, very good, good, fair or poor?”
Self-perceived mental health
Population aged 12 and over who reported perceiving their own mental health status as being excellent or very good when asked, “In general, would you say your mental health is: excellent, very good, good, fair or poor?"
Self-perceived Oral Health
The concept of quality of life is closely related to self-perception. Self-perception of health is useful because it allows for the interpretation of the impact of everyday experiences and day-to-day life.1
1. Barbosa do Vale, E., da Cruz Gouveia Mendes, A., & da Silveira Moreira, R. Self-perceived oral health among adults in Northeastern Brazil. Rev. Saude Publica 2013 47(suppl 3): 1-11.
Self-reported cancer
The percent of individuals age 12 and older who reported having cancer.
Self-Reported Chronic Health Conditions Survey Question
The question in the Canadian Community Health Survey is “Now I’d like to ask about certain chronic health conditions which you may have. We are interested in ‘long-term conditions’ which are expected to last or have already lasted 6 months or more and that have been diagnosed by a health professional”.
Seniors Dependency Ratio
Number of people aged 65 years and older divided by the number of people aged 20 to 64 multiplied by 100. (Also known as Elderly Dependency Ratio.)
Sex of person
Refers to the sex assigned at birth based on a person’s reproductive system and other physical characteristics.1 A person’s sex may differ from a person’s gender; a person’s gender may change over time and reflects the gender that a person internally feels and/or the gender a person publicly expresses.2
1. Statistics Canada. Sex of Person [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2018 Nov 9]. Available from: http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p3Var.pl?Function=DEC&Id=24101
2. Statistics Canada. Gender of Person [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2018 Nov 9]. Available from: http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p3Var.pl?Function=DECI&Id=463349
Sex ratio at birth
The ratio of males born alive per 100 females born alive.
Sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections
Sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) are those that can be spread from an infected person to others through sexual contact, or through blood, such as when injection equipment is used by more than one person.
Sleep Guidelines
Adults aged 18 to 64 need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night and adults aged 65 and older need 7 to 8 hours a night.1
Sleep Guidelines in Youth
12 and 13 years olds need between 9 and 11 hours per night and 14-17 year olds should have between 8 and 10 hours per night, with consistent bed and wake-up times.1
1. Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines: An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep [Internet]. Ottawa (ON): Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology; c2019 [cited 2019 Apr 17]. Available from: https://csepguidelines.ca/
Small counts
The stability of a rate is dependent on the number of events that contribute to that rate. Therefore, rates in small populations are often unstable due to the relatively small number of events that occur each year. When comparing trends over time between Middlesex-London, the province and the Peer Group, we often see a larger fluctuation in rates locally than for Ontario, in which the trends are fairly smooth from year to year – this concept needs to be considered when interpreting the time trends and the confidence intervals in this resource.