Health trends in Canada 1990–2019: An analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study

• Published in: Canadian journal of public health 2024-04, Vol.115 (2), p.259-270
• Main Authors: Kopec, Jacek A., Pourmalek, Farshad, Adeyinka, Daniel A., Adibi, Amin, Agarwal, Gina, Alam, Samiah, Bhutta, Zulfiqar A., Butt, Zahid A., Chattu, Vijay K., Eyawo, Oghenowede, Fazli, Ghazal, Fereshtehnejad, Seyed-Mohammad, Hebert, Jeffrey J., Hossain, Md Belal, Ilesanmi, Marcus M., Itiola, Ademola J., Jahrami, Haitham, Kissoon, Niranjan, Defo, Barthelemy K., Kurmi, Om P., Mokdad, Ali H., Murray, Christopher J. L., Olagunju, Andrew T., Pandi-Perumal, Seithikurippu R., Patten, Scott B., Rafiee, Ata, Rasali, Drona Prakash, Sardiwalla, Yaeesh, Sathish, Thirunavukkarasu, Solmi, Marco, Somayaji, Ranjani, Stranges, Saverio, Tonelli, Marcello, Wang, Ziyue, Yaya, Sanni, Elgar, Frank J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Canada - epidemiology; Cardiovascular diseases; Child; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus; Drug abuse; Drug use; Global Burden of Disease; Global Health; Health policy; Humans; Kidney diseases; Kidneys; Life Expectancy; Life span; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental disorders; Musculoskeletal diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases - epidemiology; Neoplasms; Neurological diseases; North American People; Original Article; Population studies; Public Health; Quality-Adjusted Life Years; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Sense organs; Substance use; Substance-Related Disorders; Trends
• ISSN: 0008-4263; 1920-7476; 1920-7476
• DOI: 10.17269/s41997-024-00851-3

Objective Monitoring trends in key population health indicators is important for informing health policies. The aim of this study was to examine population health trends in Canada over the past 30 years in relation to other countries. Methods We used data on disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years of life lost (YLL), years lived with disability, life expectancy (LE), and child mortality for Canada and other countries between 1990 and 2019 provided by the Global Burden of Disease Study. Results Life expectancy, age-standardized YLL, and age-standardized DALYs all improved in Canada between 1990 and 2019, although the rate of improvement has leveled off since 2011. The top five causes of all-age DALYs in Canada in 2019 were neoplasms, cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, neurological disorders, and mental disorders. The greatest increases in all-age DALYs since 1990 were observed for substance use, diabetes and chronic kidney disease, and sense organ disorders. Age-standardized DALYs declined for most conditions, except for substance use, diabetes and chronic kidney disease, and musculoskeletal disorders, which increased by 94.6%, 14.6%, and 7.3% respectively since 1990. Canada’s world ranking for age-standardized DALYs declined from 9th place in 1990 to 24th in 2019. Conclusion Canadians are healthier today than in 1990, but progress has slowed in Canada in recent years in comparison with other high-income countries. The growing burden of substance abuse, diabetes/chronic kidney disease, and musculoskeletal diseases will require continued action to improve population health.