Health is more than the absence of disease. Learn how health can be measured, explore real Canadian data, and discover what differences can teach us about people and communities.
A single number cannot tell the whole health story.
We often talk about health as if it were a single thing. But health is complex. People can experience different diseases, levels of functioning, access to care, quality of life and length of life.
That is why health researchers use many different measures. Each measure gives us a different piece of the picture.
Health is multidimensional. No single number can tell us everything about the health and wellbeing of a person or population.
Health measurement uses different kinds of evidence to understand what is happening to people and populations.
We can measure how often diseases occur and how many people are affected.
Indicators can describe biological, clinical, functional, behavioural or population characteristics.
Access includes more than having a healthcare facility nearby.
HRQoL considers how health affects everyday life and participation.
Outcomes describe what happens to health, survival, functioning or disease over time.
Impact asks whether changes actually make a meaningful difference to people and populations.
Life expectancy is an important population health outcome. It estimates how long people can expect to live based on mortality patterns.
The noticeable decline in life expectancy around 2021 is associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on mortality.
Notice the pattern first. Then use what you know about events and population health to propose an explanation.
Life expectancy tells us about the length of life. HALE adds another important idea: how many years people can expect to live in good health.
The average number of years a person can expect to live in good health.
The graph shows measurable differences in HALE between Canadian provinces. But the graph alone does not tell us why those differences exist.
A good global health explorer does not immediately label one population as “healthy” and another as “unhealthy.” Instead, they ask better questions.
A population can have a lower HALE than another population while still having a HALE that is substantially higher than a global reference. Always ask: “Compared with what?”
Health outcomes are shaped by many interacting determinants.
Consider diabetes. A population-health researcher might look at several different parts of the story:
Differences in health measures may reflect differences in living conditions, resources, opportunities, environments, social structures and access to care.
The goal is not simply to identify a difference. The goal is to understand the factors behind it.
Understanding health and its determinants connects strongly with SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being and also with goals related to poverty, education, inequality, cities, climate and strong institutions.
Some questions test concepts. Others ask you to read the graphs carefully.
Explore the data, think about the evidence, and try again.
Imagine you discover that two populations have different life expectancy or HALE.
Keep exploring how evidence can help us understand people, populations and systems.
