Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database Research Articles

Projected estimates of cancer in Canada in 2024.

Cancer surveillance data are essential to help understand where gaps exist and progress is being made in cancer control. We sought to summarize the expected impact of cancer in Canada in 2024, with projections of new cancer cases and deaths from cancer by sex and province or territory for all ages combined. We obtained data on new cancer cases (i.e., incidence, 1984-2019) and deaths from cancer (i.e., mortality, 1984-2020) from the Canadian Cancer Registry and Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database, respectively. We projected cancer incidence and mortality counts and rates to 2024 for 23 types of cancer, overall, by sex, and by province or territory. We calculated age-standardized rates using data from the 2011 Canadian standard population. In 2024, the number of new cancer cases and deaths from cancer are expected to reach 247 100 and 88 100, respectively. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and mortality rate (ASMR) are projected to decrease slightly from previous years for both males and females, with higher rates among males (ASIR 562.2 per 100 000 and ASMR 209.6 per 100 000 among males; ASIR 495.9 per 100 000 and ASMR 152.8 per 100 000 among females). The ASIRs and ASMRs of several common cancers are projected to continue to decrease (i.e., lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer), while those of several others are projected to increase (i.e., liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer, kidney cancer, melanoma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma). Although the overall incidence of cancer and associated mortality are declining, new cases and deaths in Canada are expected to increase in 2024, largely because of the growing and aging population. Efforts in prevention, screening, and treatment have reduced the impact of some cancers, but these short-term projections highlight the potential effect of cancer on people and health care systems in Canada.

Trends in socioeconomic inequalities in pancreatic cancer mortality in Canada: Evidence from the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database

BackgroundPancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of death in Canada and is projected to be the second leading cause of cancer death by 2030. This study sought to evaluate education and income inequalities in pancreatic cancer mortality in Canada between 1990 and 2019. MethodsUsing a unique census division level dataset (n = 280) constructed from the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database, Canadian Census of Population (1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2016), and National Household Survey (2011) we assess socioeconomic inequalities in pancreatic cancer in Canada. Age-standardized Concentration index was used to quantify income and education inequalities in pancreatic cancer mortality. Trends analyses were conducted to assess changes in income and education inequalities in pancreatic cancer mortality over time. ResultsOur results show that crude pancreatic cancer mortality in Canada increased significantly from 10.23 for males and 9.65 for females in 1990, to 15.99 for males and 14.28 for females in 2019, per 100,000 people. The statistically significant negative values of age-standardized Concentration indices suggest persistent income and education inequalities in pancreatic cancer mortality in Canada. Trend analyses indicates reductions in income and education inequalities in pancreatic cancer mortality over time, particularly among females. ConclusionsSignificant income and education inequalities in pancreatic cancer mortality in Canada warrant public policy concern and action. Further research is required to understand whether differential access to treatment across socioeconomic groups played a role in the observed socioeconomic inequalities.

Measuring the Health Co-Benefits of Air Pollution Interventions on Premature Deaths in Canadian Cities

Background: Climate change has significant consequences on human health. Cities are especially vulnerable, where air pollution is a major environmental health risk. Premature mortality (i.e., deaths before age 75) is a robust population health outcome amenable to targeted policy and programmatic interventions. We used the Premature Mortality Population Risk Tool augmented with environmental data (PreMPoRT-ENV) to predict the 5-year incidence of premature deaths under air pollution reduction policies. Methods: PreMPoRT-ENV is a sex-specific Weibull accelerated failure time survival model that uses the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) linked to the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database and environmental data. We applied PreMPoRT-ENV to the 2016–2017 CCHS cycles and simulated Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards targets to predict their impact on premature mortality across Canadian census metropolitan areas. We simulated capping annual mean particulate matter 2.5 microns or less in diameter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), as well as reducing air pollutants by 10% and 25% plus capping. Results: The weighted sample included 9,240,000 females and 9,260,000 males. Capping PM2.5 to 8.8 μg/m3 and NO2 to 12.0 ppb resulted in 12 per 100,000 fewer predicted premature deaths than observed exposures over 5 years (1,110 fewer absolute premature deaths). Reducing air pollutants by 10% and 25% plus capping resulted in even fewer predicted premature deaths. Conclusion: Our study highlights how to use a model that predicts premature mortality to provide estimates of the health impacts of environmental vulnerabilities. Results suggest that more aggressive targets may be needed to further realize population health benefits.

Mortality among Canadian population with multimorbidity: A retrospective cohort study.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of multimorbidity and the joint effect of chronic diseases on all-cause mortality among subjects aged 35 years and above. Population-based retrospective cohort study. Multimorbidity was defined by the respondent's self-report of having two or more chronic diseases of the nine considered. The Canadian Community Health Surveys conducted in 2003/2004, 2005/2006 and 2007 to 2014 were linked with the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database to examine the association between multimorbidity and all-cause mortality in subjects aged 35 years and above. Cox's proportional hazards models were used to estimate risk of multimorbidity on death after adjusting for the confounders in three age groups. Multimorbidity had an increased risk of death in all three age groups with the youngest having the highest risk after adjusting for potential confounders (35 to 54 years: hazard ratio (HR) = 3.77, 95% CI: 3.04, 4.67; 55 to 64 years: HR = 2.64, 95% CI: 2.36, 2.95; 65 years and above: HR = 1.71; 95% CI:1.63,1.80). Subjects with cancer had the highest risk of death in the three age groups. When the interactions between chronic diseases were considered, subjects with COPD and diabetes had a significantly increased risk of death in comparison to those without COPD or diabetes in the 55 to 64 years. (HR = 2.59, 95% CI: 2.01, 3.34). Prevention of multimorbidity should be targeted not only in the older population but also in the younger populations. Synergistic effects of chronic diseases should be considered in the management of multimorbidities.

Time Trends in Colorectal Cancer Incidence From 1992 to 2016 and Colorectal Cancer Mortality From 1980 to 2018 by Age Group and Geography in Canada.

Several reports have highlighted increasing colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence among younger individuals. However, little is known about variations in CRC incidence or mortality across age subgroups in different geographical locations. We aimed to examine time trends in CRC incidence and mortality in Canada by age group and geography in this population-based, retrospective cohort study. Individuals diagnosed with CRC from 1992 to 2016 or who died of CRC from 1980 to 2018 in Canada were studied. Geography was determined using an individual's postal code at diagnosis from the Canadian Cancer Registry or province or territory of death from the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database. Geography was categorized into Atlantic, Central, Prairies, West, and Territories. Canadian Cancer Registry data were used to determine CRC incidence from 1992 to 2016. Canadian Vital Statistics Death data were used to determine CRC mortality from 1980 to 2018. Among all age groups, CRC incidence was highest in Atlantic Canada, was lowest in Western Canada, and increased with age. CRC incidence increased over time for individuals aged 20-44 years and was stable or decreased for other age groups in all regions. CRC mortality was highest in Atlantic Canada and lowest in the Prairies and Western Canada. CRC mortality decreased for individuals in all age groups and regions except among individuals aged 20-49 years in the Territories. Most of Canada has not yet seen an increase in CRC burden in the age group of 45-49 years, which is a reason to not lower the start age for CRC screening in Canada. Targeted CRC screening should be considered for individuals younger than 50 years who live in the Territories.

Linkage of the nationally representative Canadian Community Health Survey - Nutrition 2004 to routinely collected mortality records.

The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) - Nutrition 2004 (n=35,107; interview dates from January 2004 to January 2005) linked to the Canadian Vital Statistics - Death Database (CVSD) (2011) represents a novel linkage of a population-based, nationally representative nutrition survey with routinely collected mortality records (including date and cause of death). The linkage was done through individual tax data in Canada, and contains longitudinal records for 29,897 Canadians aged 0 years and older-1,753 of whom died-in the 10 provinces of Canada. The median follow-up time was 7.49 years, with 102,953 person-years among males and 114,876 person-years among females (unweighted), and included a special sampling survey weight (for linked data) to account for those who did not agree to share and link their information. The CCHS - Nutrition 2004 linked to CVSD has been used to evaluate associations between lifestyle and sociodemographic characteristics and mortality. Using these data, statistical methods have been developed and tested to control random and systematic measurement errors when evaluating the relationship between different dietary exposures (evaluated using repeated 24-hour dietary recalls) and health outcomes. The linked data are available through Statistics Canada's Research Data Centres.

Use of linked data to assess the impact of including out-of-hospital deaths on 30-day in-hospital mortality indicators: a retrospective cohort study.

Background:The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) annually reports on health system performance indicators, including various 30-day in-hospital mortality rates. We aimed to assess the impact of including out-of-hospital deaths on 3 CIHI indicators: 30-day acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in-hospital mortality, 30-day stroke in-hospital mortality and hospital deaths following major surgery.Methods:We followed national cohorts of patients admitted to hospital in 1 of 9 Canadian provinces for AMI, stroke and major surgery for 30-day all-cause mortality in 2 fiscal years (2011/12 and 2016/17). We calculated descriptive statistics to characterize the cohorts. The CIHI Discharge Database was linked with the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database using a probabilistic algorithm to identify out-of-hospital deaths. We calculated absolute numbers, relative proportions and 30-day mortality rates for in-hospital, out-of-hospital and all deaths. We compared results between fiscal years.Results:We found that hospital admissions increased between fiscal years for each indicator; however, cohort characteristics remained consistent. In 2016/17, the number of out-of-hospital deaths that occurred was 325 for AMI, 545 for stroke and 820 for major surgery. The relative proportions of out-of-hospital deaths ranged from 12.3% for AMI to 14.9% for major surgery in 2016/17 (an increase from 10.6% and 13.1%, respectively, from 2011/12). In-hospital mortality rates improved over time for all 3 indicators, while out-of-hospital mortality rates remained consistent between fiscal years at 0.8% for AMI, 1.9%–2.0% for stroke and 0.2%–0.3% for major surgery.Interpretation:Improvements between fiscal years were attributable to reductions in in-hospital mortality, rather than deaths occurring outside of hospitals. Trends over time were the same for each indicator irrespective of whether in-hospital mortality or all deaths were measured.

Planning for community well-being: Prioritizing and identifying local neighbourhood attributes of belonging.

ObjectivesLocal neighbourhoods have great potential to foster community belonging which can improve health and well-being. In partnership with the City of Toronto, we prioritize and assess the importance of physical and social environmental attributes to community belonging. Using new data linkages, we contribute to Toronto’s community safety and well-being plan, SafeTO.
 ApproachWe leverage an individual-level record linkage of respondents from multiple cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS, 2000 to 2017), the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database (CVSD), and the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) from the Centre for Population Health Data at Statistics Canada. Environmental data sources include the Census, administrative data, and open-source data. Using postal code information from the CCHS, we connected each respondent with their neighbourhood’s attributes, which include but are not limited to proximity to amenities (such as childcare, libraries and public transit), the Canadian Active Living Environment measure, green space, and air quality.
 ResultsOf the 74,000 CCHS respondents from the Toronto census metropolitan area (representing a population of 4 to 5 million annually), an overall rate of 86% agreed to link and share their data, which renders an estimated linked sample of approximately 63,600 respondents. Across the entire linkage, 54% of respondents are linked to a record in the DAD between 1999/00 and 2017/18, and 10% are linked to a death record in the CVSD between 2000 and 2017. In consultation with municipal agencies and community stakeholders, we will prioritize the environmental attributes that are most relevant to community belonging and well-being, and comprehensively model the relationship between these attributes, community belonging and downstream health outcomes using multivariable regression and time-to-event models.
 ConclusionThis on-going work contributes to the development of innovative approaches for using multi-sector data to inform decision making, as per the goals of SafeTO. Results from the analyses will be used to identify environmental attributes potentially important for community belonging and will support municipal city planning and resource allocation.

Where to start? Injury prevention priority scores for traumatic injuries in Canada.

Background:Given limited resources for injury prevention, it is essential to determine which mechanisms of injury to target to provide the most benefit to the largest proportion of the population. We developed objective, evidence-based injury prevention priority scores (IPPSs) for the Canadian population across 4 prevention perspectives: mortality, injury severity, resource use and societal cost.Methods:We performed a retrospective cohort study of all injuries in Canada from 2009/10 to 2013/14. Hospital admissions were obtained from the Discharge Database, and deaths from the Statistics Canada Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database. For each mechanism of injury, we calculated an IPPS as a balanced measure of injury frequency and 1) mortality rate, 2) median 1 – ICISS (Injury Severity Score derived from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision, enhanced Canadian version), 3) median cost per hospital stay or 4) median potential years of life lost (PYLL), providing a ranking of mechanisms of injury in priority order. The IPPS by definition has a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. The higher the IPPS, the higher the priority for injury prevention.Results:A total of 694 535 injuries were identified over the study period. The most frequent mechanism of injury was falls (391 068 [56.3%]). The overall mortality rate was 0.09 deaths/injured person, the median 1 – ICISS was 0.017, the median cost was $5217, and the median PYLL was 0. The mechanisms with the 3 highest IPPSs were falls (75), self-harm (67) and drowning (66) for mortality; falls (77), drowning (70) and suffocation (61) for severity; falls (80), suffocation (63) and fire (60) for resource use; and falls (72), assault (62), and firearms and legal interventions (59 in both cases) for societal cost.Conclusion:This study produced IPPSs for traumatic injuries in Canada that provide objective and quantifiable methods for identifying mechanisms of injury to target for specific prevention initiatives. Preventing falls would provide the most benefit to the largest proportion of Canadians and should be prioritized in injury-prevention policy.

Polysubstance use poisoning deaths in Canada: an analysis of trends from 2014 to 2017 using mortality data

BackgroundOver the past decade, rates of drug poisoning deaths have increased dramatically in Canada. Current evidence suggests that the non-medical use of synthetic opioids, stimulants and patterns of polysubstance use are major factors contributing to this increase.MethodsCounts of substance poisoning deaths involving alcohol, opioids, other central nervous system (CNS) depressants, cocaine, and CNS stimulants excluding cocaine, were acquired from the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database (CVSD) for the years 2014 to 2017. We used joinpoint regression analysis and the Cochrane-Armitage trend test for proportions to examine changes over time in crude mortality rates and proportions of poisoning deaths involving more than one substance.ResultsBetween 2014 and 2017, the rate of substance poisoning deaths in Canada almost doubled from 6.4 to 11.5 deaths per 100,000 population (Average Annual Percent Change, AAPC: 23%, p < 0.05). Our analysis shows this was due to increased unintentional poisoning deaths (AAPC: 26.6%, p < 0.05) and polysubstance deaths (AAPC: 23.0%, p < 0.05). The proportion of unintentional poisoning deaths involving polysubstance use increased significantly from 38% to 58% among males (p < 0.0001) and 40% to 55% among females (p < 0.0001). Polysubstance use poisonings involving opioids and CNS stimulants (excluding cocaine) increased substantially during the study period (males AAPC: 133.1%, p < 0.01; females AAPC: 118.1%, p < 0.05).ConclusionsIncreases in substance-related poisoning deaths between 2014 and 2017 were associated with polysubstance use. Increased co-use of stimulants with opioids is a key factor contributing to the epidemic of opioid deaths in Canada.

Social inequalities in COVID-19 mortality by area and individual-level characteristics in Canada, January to July/August 2020: Results from two national data integrations.

Despite early reports of social determinants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) burden, national Canadian reporting on COVID-19 inequalities has been limited. The objective of this study is to describe inequalities in COVID-19 mortality in Canada using preliminary data, as part of the Pan-Canadian Health Inequalities Reporting Initiative. Two provisional Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database integrations were used. Data concerning deaths between January 1 and July 4, 2020, among private-dwelling residents were linked to individual-level data from the 2016 short-form Census, and disaggregated by sex and low-income status, dwelling type, household type and size. Data concerning deaths between January 1 and August 31, 2020 linked to 2016 Census area data were disaggregated by sex and neighbourhood ethno-cultural composition quintiles (based on the proportion of residents who are recent immigrants, visible minorities, born outside of Canada, with no knowledge of English or French), income quintiles and urban residence. The COVID-19 age-standardized mortality rate (per 100,000 population) differences and ratios between groups were estimated. As of July/August 2020, apartment dwellers, residents of urban centres, neighbourhoods with the highest ethno-cultural composition or lowest income experienced 14 to 30 more COVID-19-related deaths/100,000 compared with reference groups (residents of single-detached homes, outside of urban centres, with lowest ethno-cultural concentration or highest income, respectively). Per 100,000 population, sex/gender inequalities were also larger in these four groups (11 to 18 more male than female deaths) than in the reference groups (two to four more male than female deaths). These findings highlight how populations facing socioeconomic disadvantage have experienced a higher overall burden of deaths. Areas for future research are discussed to guide health equity-informed pandemic response.

The cancer survival index: Measuring progress in cancer survival to help evaluate cancer control efforts in Canada.

A comprehensive evaluation of progress in cancer survival for all cancer types combined has not previously been conducted for Canada. The cancer survival index (CSI) is superior to age standardization in measuring such progress. Data are from the population-based Canadian Cancer Registry, record-linked to the Canadian Vital Statistics Death database. CSI estimates for both sexes combined were calculated as the weighted sum of the sex- and cancer-specific age-standardized net survival estimates. Sex-specific CSI estimates were calculated separately using sex-specific cancer type weights. From the 1992-to-1994 period to the 2015-to-2017 period, the five-year CSI increased 8.6 percentage points to 63.7%. It increased by 8.9 percentage points to 61.8% among males, and by 8.2 percentage points to 65.8% among females. The contribution of a cancer and sex combination to change in the CSI over time is a function of its assigned weight and changes in its age-standardized net survival. Female breast was the most influential cancer and sex combination, contributing 10.1% to the overall increase, followed by prostate (8.2%) and female lung (7.3%). The increase in the index since the 2005-to-2007 period was most impacted by lung cancer among both females (11.1%) and males (9.4%). While prostate cancer survival increased over the entire study period, it has recently decreased, resulting in a counterproductive 8.1% contribution since the 2005-to-2007 period. Steady progress has been made in overall cancer survival in Canada since the early 1990s. Female breast cancer has contributed the most to this progress overall, but more recently female lung cancer has been the most influential.

Urban active living environments and cardiovascular disease mortality: a Canadian national cohort study

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Neighbourhoods conducive to utilitarian walking and active living are associated with higher physical activity and lower cardiovascular risk factors. Most evidence, however, has been drawn from ecological studies. Our aim was to investigate longitudinal associations between neighbourhood walkability and cardiovascular mortality in a large population-based cohort of Canadian adults. METHODS: We analyzed data from the 2001 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC). These data were obtained from the mandatory 2001 long-form census, which includes a random sample of roughly 20% of the Canadian population. Individual-level data from the 2001 census were linked to income tax files to provide annual residential postal codes, while mortality was ascertained by linkage to the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database between 2001 and 2016. The main exposure was the Canadian Active Living Environments (Can–ALE), a national quintile index that summarizes features of the built environment related to active living and walkability. We restricted our analysis to those 19 years of age and older at baseline who lived in large city areas (population ≥100,000), allowing individual person-years to move in and out of the analytical sample. Cox proportional hazard models were fit to estimate hazard ratios for Can–ALE categories and cardiovascular mortality while adjusting for many individual and contextual covariates. RESULTS:A total of 26,875,875 person-years (53% female) and 266,740 deaths were included in the model. Living in a highly walkable neighbourhood (Can–ALE 5 [high] vs 1 [low]) was significantly associated with a 6% reduced hazard of cardiovascular mortality (aHR: 0.94, 95%CI: 0.90, 0.98), 11% reduced hazard of cerebrovascular mortality (aHR: 0.89, 95%CI: 0.81, 0.98), and a 7% reduced hazard of ischemic heart disease mortality (aHR: 0.93, 95%CI: 0.88, 0.99). CONCLUSIONS:Living in an urban neighbourhood or community supportive of utilitarian walking and active living may contribute to lower mortality from cardiovascular disease in adults. KEYWORDS: Built environment, walkability, cardiovascular diseases, mortality

Do cancer incidence and mortality rates differ among ethnicities in Canada?

Cancer incidence rates have been shown to vary by ethnicity, and the increasing awareness of and interest in reporting ethnic health inequalities have been growing internationally. The objective of this study was to assess cancer incidence and mortality rates by ethnicity in Canada. The study used the 2006 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort, linked to the Canadian Cancer Registry and the Canadian Vital Statistics-Death Database, to determine cancer cases and mortality from 2006 to 2016. Ethnicity was categorized as non-Indigenous North American (NINA); European; Caribbean; Latin, Central and South American (LCSA); African; East Asian; South Asian; and West Central Asian and Middle Eastern. Europeans had the highest standardized incidence rates, while NINA had the highest mortality rates. Rates varied substantially by ethnicity and immigrant status. The top three cancers accounted for 46.5% to 61.9% of all new cancers, while the top three cancer deaths accounted for 36.1% to 61.9% of all deaths. The distribution of cancers within the top 10 cancers and the top 10 cancer deaths also differed; e.g., stomach cancer was found to be more prevalent in the East Asian, LCSA, African and Caribbean groups. Non-immigrant African males had the highest cancer incidence rates, and non-immigrant South Asian females had the highest mortality rates. There is considerable variability in cancer incidence and cancer mortality rates by ethnicity, and this study addresses the knowledge gap in Canada in this area. Establishing baseline indicators, such as cancer rates by ethnicity, is essential to understanding the differences within the diverse Canadian population and to informing targeted interventions that may help reduce health inequalities.

Suicide in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: a time trend analysis from 1981 to 2018

BackgroundThe suicide rate in Canada decreased by 24% during the past four decades. However, rates vary between provinces and territories, and not all jurisdictions experienced the same changes. This study examined suicide rates over time in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.MethodsWe used cross-sectional surveillance data from the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database to examine suicide rates in Newfoundland and Labrador from 1981 to 2018. We calculated annual age-standardized suicide mortality rates and used joinpoint regression to estimate the average annual percent change (AAPC) in suicide rates overall and by sex, age group, and means of suicide.ResultsFrom 1981 to 2018, 1759 deaths by suicide were recorded among people in Newfoundland and Labrador. The age-standardized suicide mortality rate increased more than threefold over the study period, from 4.6 to 15.4 deaths per 100,000. The suicide rate was higher among males than females, and accounted for 83.1% of suicide deaths (n = 1462); the male-to-female ratio of suicide deaths was 4.9 to 1. The average annual percent change in suicide rates was higher among females than males (6.3% versus 2.0%). Age-specific suicide rates increased significantly for all age groups, except seniors (aged 65 or older); the largest increase was among youth aged 10 to 24 years old (AAPC 3.5; 95% CI, 1.6 to 5.5). The predominant means of suicide was hanging/strangulation/suffocation, which accounted for 43.8% of all deaths by suicide.ConclusionsThe suicide rate in Newfoundland and Labrador increased steadily between 1981 and 2018, which was in contrast to the national rate decline. The disparity between the provincial and national suicide rates and the variations by sex and age underscore the need for a public health approach to prevention that accounts for geographic and demographic differences in the epidemiology of suicide.

Changes over time in means of suicide in Canada: an analysis of mortality data from 1981 to 2018.

BACKGROUND:Ongoing surveillance of the means of suicide is necessary for effective prevention. We examined how mortality rates owing to different means of suicide changed in Canada from 1981 to 2018.METHODS:We obtained data from 1981 to 2018 on suicide deaths of individuals aged 10 years and older, from the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database. We used joinpoint regression analysis to examine changes over time in the suicide mortality rate for the 3 most common means of suicide.RESULTS:The age-standardized suicide mortality rate declined in earlier decades for both sexes, but did not significantly change in recent decades for either sex. The age-standardized rate of suicide by suffocation increased from 1993 for females (2.1% per year) and from 1996 for males (0.4% per year). The age-standardized rate of suicide by poisoning decreased for females (2.2% per year) and males (2.1% per year) from 1981 to 2018. The age-standardized rate of suicide by firearm decreased from 1981 to 2008 (7.4% per year) but did not significantly change there-after for females; for males, it decreased 2.1% per year from 1981 to 1993 and 5.7% per year from 1993 to 2007, but did not significantly change thereafter.INTERPRETATION:For both sexes, the rate of suicide by poisoning is decreasing, the rate of suicide by suffocation is increasing, and the rate of suicide by firearm has not significantly changed in the last decade. Given the high proportion of suicide deaths by suffocation, its increasing rate and the difficulty of restricting the means of suffocation, other approaches to suicide prevention are needed.

Trends in paediatric cancer survival in Canada, 1992 to 2017.

While impressive gains in childhood cancer survival have been reported both in Canada and internationally, it has been almost 15 years since the last comprehensive evaluation of Canadian data. Data are from the population-based Canadian Cancer Registry, record-linked to the Canadian Vital Statistics Death database. Children aged 0 to 14 diagnosed with new primary malignant cancers from 1992 to 2017 in Canada except Quebec were included. Overall survival was measured using observed survival proportions (OSPs). Estimates for the 2013-to-2017 period were predicted using the period method; otherwise, the cohort method was used. For the 2013-to-2017 period, five-year OSPs were at least 90% for 10 of 24 individual cancer groups or subgroups reported. Survival was highest for thyroid carcinomas (100%) and Hodgkin lymphomas (99%) and lowest for other gliomas (42%). A significant increase in the five-year OSP from the 1992-to-1996 period (77%) to the 2013-to-2017 period (84%) was observed for all childhood cancers combined, but not since the 2003-to-2007 period. The greatest increase was for chronic myeloproliferative diseases (35.4 percentage points); for lymphoid leukemias, survival increased from 85% to 93%. Survival was relatively poor at baseline for hepatic tumours, malignant bone tumours, and soft tissue and other extraosseous sarcomas, and it remained virtually unchanged. Once children survived five years, the probability of surviving another five years exceeded 95% across most diagnoses. Significant improvements in both short- and long-term paediatric cancer survival have been made in Canada since the early to mid-1990s. These findings are clinically meaningful and are likely to be reassuring to families.

Suboptimal baseline mental health associated with 4-month premature all-cause mortality: Findings from 18 years of follow-up of the Canadian National Population Health Survey

ObjectiveTo investigate: 1) whether baseline non-flourishing mental health is associated with a higher probability of all-cause mortality over 18-year follow-up after controlling for many risk factors for premature mortality; and 2) what other factors, independent of mental health status, are associated with all-cause mortality after adjustment for known risk factors. MethodsData were derived from waves 1 and 9 (1994/1995; 2010/2011) of the Canadian National Population Health Survey. An analytic sample of 12,424 participants 18 years and above was selected. Baseline information on flourishing and predictors of all-cause mortality was from wave 1 and mortality data was ascertained by the Canadian Vital Statistics-Death Database in wave 9. Mean time to all-cause mortality was estimated using Kaplan-Meir procedure. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association of baseline non-flourishing mental health and potential predictors with time to all-cause mortality. ResultsAbout one in five participants was classified as non-flourishing at baseline. At the end of the study period 2317 deaths were observed. Baseline non-flourishing mental health was associated with a 19% higher probability of all-cause mortality during 18-year follow-up (HR = 1.19; 95% CI 1.08–1.32), corresponding to a 4.7-month shorter survival time. After controlling for baseline chronic health conditions, past-year depression, sociodemographics, health behaviors, social support, pain and functioning, baseline non-flourishing mental health status was associated with a 14% higher probability of death (HR = 1.14; 95% CI 1.02–1.27). ConclusionsSuboptimal mental health is associated with premature mortality even after accounting for many risk factors for early death. Future research should explore the physiological pathways through which non-flourishing influences mortality.

Trends in Suicide Mortality in Canada by Sex and Age Group, 1981 to 2017: A Population-Based Time Series Analysis: Tendances de la mortalité par suicide au Canada selon le sexe et le groupe d'âge, 1981 - 2017 : Une analyse de séries chronologiques dans la population.

Objectives:Suicide is a complex global public health issue. The objective of this study was to assess time trends in suicide mortality in Canada by sex and age group.Methods:We extracted data from the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database for all suicide deaths among individuals aged 10 years and older based on International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Ninth Revision (E950-959; 1981 to 1999) and International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (X60-X84, Y87·0; 2000 to 2017) for a 37-year period, from 1981 to 2017. We calculated annual age-standardized, sex-specific, and age group-specific suicide mortality rates, and used Joinpoint Regression for time trend analysis.Results:The age-standardized suicide mortality rate in Canada decreased by 24.0% from 1981 to 2017. From 1981 to 2007, there was a significant annual average decrease in the suicide rate by 1.1% (95% confidence interval, −1.3 to −0.9), followed by no significant change between 2007 and 2017. From 1981 to 2017 and from 1990 to 2017, females aged 10 to 24 and 45 to 64 years old, respectively, had a significant increase in suicide mortality rates. However, males had the highest suicide mortality rates in all years in the study; the average male-to-female ratio was 3.4:1.Conclusion:The 3-decade decline in suicide mortality rates in Canada paralleled the global trend in rate reductions. However, since 2008, the suicide rate in Canada was relatively unchanged. Although rates were consistently higher among males, we found significant rate increases among females in specific age groups. Suicide prevention efforts tailored for adult males and young and middle-aged females could help reduce the suicide mortality rate in Canada.

Abstract P264: Cardiovascular and Cardiometabolic Post-hospitalization Mortality Rates are Not Associated With Traditional Risk Factors and Socioeconomic Status at the Population Level in Canada

Background: While existing literature has established individual risk factors for early death post-hospitalization in patients with cardiovascular and cardiometabolic disease (CVD/CMD), few studies to date have examined whether the known effects of these risk factors are maintained at the population level. The aim of this study was to determine whether traditional CVD risk factors and socioeconomic factors at the population level impacted CVD/CMD post-hospitalization mortality rates in Canada over time. Methodology: We conducted an ecological, cross-sectional analysis using merged data from two sources: 1) the Canadian Community Health Survey 2000-2011 and, 2) the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database linked to the Discharge Abstract Database 2000-2012. The study outcome was 1-year mortality rate after hospital discharge for CVD/CMD, calculated by census division (CD) using ICD-9-CA codes for hospitalizations and deaths. The first stage of the statistical analysis reported age- and sex-standardized 1-year mortality rates after hospital discharge for CVD/CMD, across CDs in Canada. The second stage utilized Poisson regression to model associations between traditional CVD risk factors and socioeconomic factors at the CD level and CVD/CMD post-hospitalization mortality rates in Canada over time. Results: National 1-year mortality rates in patients with CVD/CMD increased from 146.5 per 100,000 in 2000 to 150.4 in 2012, peaking at 202.4 in 2006, with no significant trend observed over time. Maps of average 1-year mortality rates over the time period (2000-2012) show wide variations in rates across census divisions (CDs) in Canada. Nova Scotia and Ontario had the highest proportion of CDs with worsening rates of mortality over time (3% and 7% respectively) that remained below the national average. Traditional CVD risk factors, demographic factors and socioeconomic factors at the census division level were not associated with 1-year mortality rates after hospital discharge for CVD/CMD over time. Potential implication: Reductions in the CVD/CMD post-hospitalization mortality burden at the individual level may benefit from treatment targeted towards traditional risk factors and socioeconomic factors however; reduction in post-hospitalization burden at the population level can benefit from policy focused towards other societal elements such as healthcare and community care resources.