Community Health Status Report
Issue Number 5 - July 1996
Summary
This report is the fifth in an ongoing
series produced by the Health Unit. The purpose of the series is to review
and describe the health status of the population of Renfrew County and District
so that we can better meet the health needs of local residents. Factors
comprising the overall picture of health status include demographics,
determinants of health such as income, employment, education, social support,
and health behaviours, and health outcomes. All of these are reviewed and
reported on in this series.
Previous reports in the series have
shown that:
- income and education levels are
lower than provincial averages
- death and disease rates are higher
particularly rates of premature death from heart disease, cancer and
injuries.
- smoking, high fat diets, physical
inactivity and alcohol abuse contribute to higher than average mortality
rates in Renfrew County and District
The current report looks at social
support and self-reported health.
Social support comes in many forms and
is an important factor that affects people's health.
There are health benefits associated
with being married, and in Renfrew County a greater proportion of the population
is married than in Ontario as a whole. Family structure also influences health.
Single-parent families are subjected to more problems and stressors than
families with two parents. In Renfrew County the proportion of single parent
families is slightly lower than in Ontario. Seniors living alone is another type
of household that can be associated with less than optimal social support. More
seniors live alone in Renfrew County than in Ontario as a whole.
Family functioning also has an impact
on health. Slightly more than 1 in S people in Renfrew County report living in
dysfunctional families. Such families often suffer from inappropriate behaviours
such as alcohol and drug abuse, workaholism and sexual abuse.
On the positive side, a greater
proportion of Renfrew County's population participates in a social support
system. The volunteer participation rate is also higher here, which indicates a
close-knit community. Renfrew County also compares favourably with other parts
of Ontario on violent crime rates; rates are generally lower here.
Care of children was briefly reviewed,
as it also is an important component of social support. Childcare services and
factors placing children at risk for future problems such as abuse, family
violence and poverty were highlighted. Renfrew County statistics were presented;
comparisons with Ontario are not available.
People in Renfrew County tend to
perceive their level of health and well-being more positively than their
provincial counterparts. On an assessment of well-being, more Renfrew County
residents scored high than Ontario residents. In the younger age groups, more
Renfrew County residents than Ontario residents rate their health as excellent
or very good; in the older age groups the opposite is true. Generally, people in
Renfrew County describe their lives to be less stressful than people in Ontario.
Finally, about
two-thirds of the population in Renfrew County report
that they are usually happy, and this is slightly higher than corresponding
rates for Ontario.
The findings in this report are
interesting in light of the fact that previous reports have shown that death
rates and disease rates are higher here. The data presented in this report
indicate that in spite of poorer health status generally, people in Renfrew
County are happier, more socially-involved, less stressed and have a greater
sense of well-being.
Perhaps this is confirmation of the important contribution of social support and
a rural lifestyle.
