Synthetic: National Population Health Survey, 2000-2001 [Canada]: Cycle 4

Please note: This is a Synthetic data file, also known as a Dummy file - it is not real data. This synthetic file should not be used for purposes other than to develop an test computer programs that are to be submitted by remote access. Each record in the synthetic file matches the format and content parameters of the real Statistics Canada Master File with which it is associated, but the data themselves have been 'made up'. They do NOT represent responses from real individuals and should NOT be used for actual analysis. These data are provided solely for the purpose of testing statistical package 'code' (e.g. SPSS syntax, SAS programs, etc.) in preperation for analysis using the associated Master File in a Research Data Centre, by Remote Job Submission, or by some other means of secure access. If statistical analysis 'code' works with the synthetic data, researchers can have some confidence that the same code will run successfully against the Master File data in the Resource Data Centres. In the fall of 1991, the National Health Information Council recommended that an ongoing national survey of population health be conducted. This recommendation was based on consideration of the economic and fiscal pressures on the health care systems and the requirement for information with which to improve the health status of the population in Canada. Commencing in April 1992, Statistics Canada received funding for development of a National Population Health Survey (NPHS). The NPHS collects information related to the health of the Canadian population and related socio-demographic information to: aid in the development of public policy by providing measures of the level, trend and distribution of the health status of the population, provide data for analytic studies that will assist in understanding the determinants of health, and collect data on the economic, social, demographic, occupational and environmental correlates of health. In addition the NPHS seeks to increase the understanding of the relationship between health status and health care utilization, including alternative as well as traditional services, and also to allow the possibility of linking survey data to routinely collected administrative data such as vital statistics, environmental measures, community variables, and health services utilization. The NPHS collects information related to the health of the Canadian population and related socio-demographic information. It is composed of three components: the Households, the Health Institutions, and the North components. The Household component started in 1994/1995 and is conducted every two years. The first three cycles (1994/1995, 1996/1997, 1997/1998) were both cross-sectional and longitudinal. The NPHS longitudinal sample includes 17,276 persons from all ages in 1994/1995 and these same persons are to be interviewed every two years. Beginning in Cycle 4 (2000/2001) the survey became strictly longitudinal (collecting health information from the same individuals each cycle). The cross-sectional and longitudinal documentation of the Household component is presented separately as well as the documentation for the Health Institutions and North components. The cross-sectional component of the Population Health Survey Program has been taken over by the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). With the introduction of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), there were many changes to the 2000-2001 National Population Health Survey - Household questionnaire. Since NPHS is strictly a longitudinal survey, some content was migrated to the CCHS (such as the two-week disability section and certain questions on place where health care was provided) or was dropped (e.g. certain chronic conditions), while the order of the questionnaire changed. As only the longitudinal respondent is now surveyed, it was no longer necessary to distinguish between the General questionnaire and the Health component. Health Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada and provincial ministries of health use NPHS longitudinal data to plan, implement and evaluate programs and health policies to improve health and the efficiency of health services. Non-profit health organizations and researchers in the academic fields use the information to move research ahead and to improve health.