Health disparities indicators : Measuring sustainable development, application of the Genuine Progress Index to Nova Scotia

Participants of the first annual Joint Conference of the Association of Local Public Health Agencies and the Ontario Public Health Association have suggested that the most important areas in need of immediate action are income and income distribution, education, employment, housing, food security, and social inclusion.4 Because of the interconnectedness of all of the areas, without statistical wor [...] It recommended, in part: • a broad and comprehensive set of indicators—with all indicators broken down by SES group—that would include measures of: • the extent of disparities, • the causes of disparities, • the costs of disparities, • the cost-effectiveness of initiatives over time, • the impact of health disparities on the economy, community, and individual wellbeing, and • the extent to which h [...] The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Health Canada have recognized that one of the largest health problems in Canada is the extent of health disparities between the most and least disadvantaged groups in the population—which is masked by the excellent health status of Canadians overall.12 Health Ministries at the national and provincial levels have made commitments to reducing these dispa [...] In the report, HDTG notes that, although Canadians are “among the healthiest people in the world,” health disparities are differentially distributed among specific populations throughout the country.15 The group notes that health disparities are avoidable and “are inconsistent with Canadian values, threaten the cohesiveness of community and society, challenge the sustainability of the health syste [...] It recommended a broad and comprehensive set of indicators—with all indicators broken down by SES group—that would include measures of: • the extent of disparities, • the causes of disparities, • the costs of disparities, • the cost-effectiveness of initiatives over time, • the impact of health disparities on the economy, community, and individual wellbeing, and • the extent to which health sector