Appendix A: Glossary

Activity Restriction
In the NPHS, activity restriction is defined as at least one day of activity restriction in the previous year.

Age-Specific Rate
The death or disease rate for a specified age group in a specified period. Five-year age groups are commonly used.

Age-Standardized Rate
An adjusted rate that represents what the crude rate would have been in the study population if that population had the same age distribution as the standard population, which in this report is the 1991 Canadian population. However, because standardization produces a summary measure, it may obscure important differences in age-specific patterns. Also, standardized rates can be compared with each other only when the same standard population has been used to obtain the rate.

Body Mass Index (BMI)
Anthropometric measure, defined as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in metres. This measure correlates closely with body density and thickness (see Overweight).

Cardiovascular Disease
ICD-9 codes # 410-414, 428, 429.2, 429.3, 429.9

Cerebrovascular Disease
ICD-9 codes # 430-438

Coefficient of Variation
The coefficient of variation (CV) indicates the quality of a population estimate. A CV of 16.7-25.5 indicates moderate sampling variability. A CV of 25.6-33.3 indicates high sampling variability. Estimates with either a moderate or high CV should be interpreted with caution. In some situations, the sample in the survey was too small to produce a reliable estimate. These numbers are not included in the report.

Confidence Interval
The 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of all estimates were calculated during the preparation of the report. As a result, there is a 95% probability that the true value for the population lies somewhere in this range of values. If the text reports a difference between two values, the 95% CIs of these estimates do not overlap, and one can be reasonably sure that a true difference exists. If the text does not report on a difference found in the values, the reader should assume that none exists.

Cumulative Incidence
The number or proportion of a group who experience the onset of a health-related event during a specified time interval; this interval is generally the same for all members of the group, but, as in lifetime incidence, it may vary from person to person without reference to age.

Daily Smoker
An individual who was smoking cigarettes on a daily basis at the time of the interview.

Deaths – Projected
Five-year age-specific mortality rates for 1996/97 were applied to the projected population structure to the year 2050, developed by Statistics Canada.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM)
A chronic condition that results from the body's inability to sufficiently produce and/or properly use insulin.

Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1, also known as insulin dependent diabetes, occurs mainly in childhood or early adolescence and requires daily insulin injections for survival. The most common form is caused by the destruction of beta cells in the pancreas by the auto-immune system, leaving the pancreas unable to produce insulin.

Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2, also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes, typically occurs after the age of 40 years. A resistance to insulin develops, often exacerbated by excess weight, leaving the pancreas unable to produce enough insulin to compensate.

Gestational Diabetes
During pregnancy, some women develop glucose intolerance that can be treated with diet and/or insulin. If the glucose intolerance is not well controlled, however, the fetus can develop macrosomia (large size) that affects both the health of the baby and the birth.

Health-related Conditions of Diabetes
Diabetes-related conditions include hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, lower respiratory tract infection, renal disease, and skin disease.

High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, as defined by a physician, is usually considered to be a diastolic pressure of> 90 mm Hg or systolic pressure of> 160 mm Hg.

Hypertension (also called High Blood Pressure)
ICD-9 codes # 401-405

ICD-9 Codes
International Classification of Disease, 9th edition.

Incidence Rate
The rate at which new events occur in a population. The numerator is the number of new events that occur in a defined period; the denominator is the population at risk of experiencing the event during this period, sometimes expressed as person-time.

Insulin
A hormone secreted from beta cells in the pancreas, which assists with the conversion of glucose into energy.

Life Expectancy
Life expectancy is a summary measure of the health status of a population. It is defined as the average number of years an individual of a given age is expected to live if current mortality rates continue to apply.

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