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Aboriginal Peoples Survey: Health of the Métis population
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In 2006, just over half (54%) of all Métis aged 15 and over reported that they had been diagnosed with a chronic condition, about the same as in 2001.
The most commonly reported chronic health conditions among Métis adults were arthritis or rheumatism, high blood pressure and asthma. In all three cases, rates among Métis were higher than they were in the general population, after standardizing for age.
About 14% of Métis reported asthma, almost double the 8% in the total population, while about 7% reported diabetes, compared with 4% in the total population.
Just over one-fifth (21%) of the Métis population reported arthritis or rheumatism and 16% reported high blood pressure, compared with 13% and 12% respectively in the total population.
These proportions for Métis were similar to those reported in 2001. Métis women were slightly more likely than men to indicate they had at least one chronic condition, and women were also more likely to report two or more.
A chronic health condition was defined as a condition diagnosed by a health professional that has lasted (or is expected to last) for six months or more. The relative health of a population may be related to the magnitude of specific chronic health conditions.
According to the 2006 Census, 389,785 individuals identified themselves as Métis, up 33% from five years earlier. They accounted for 33% of the 1,172,790 people who identified themselves as Aboriginal. In 2006, the median age of Métis was 30 years, 9 years younger than that for the total population.
Age and chronic conditions
In most age groups, a higher proportion of Métis than the general population reported they had been diagnosed with a chronic condition. In most cases, the proportion of Métis with a chronic condition was double that reported by the total population.
The most commonly reported chronic condition of Métis teens aged 15 to 19 was asthma, 20% of whom reported the condition. This was almost double the 11% in the same age group in the total population.
Among Métis in the group aged 45 to 54, 32% reported arthritis or rheumatism and 24% high blood pressure. The proportions in the total population were 17% and 16% respectively.
Among seniors aged 65 and over, the prevalence of arthritis/rheumatism and high blood pressure were similar in both the Métis and the total population. Just over half (52%) of senior Métis said they had been diagnosed with arthritis or rheumatism, while just under half (48%) reported high blood pressure. This compares with 46% of seniors in the total population reporting arthritis/rheumatism, and 44% reporting high blood pressure.
Note to readers
This is the third of three reports presenting results from the 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS), conducted between October 2006 and March 2007. The 2006 APS provides extensive data on Inuit, Métis and off-reserve First Nations children aged 6 to 14 and adults aged 15 and over living in urban, rural and northern locations across Canada.
This report focuses on the Métis population with an analysis of key measures of health including self-rated health status and common chronic conditions. It also explores determinants such as: health behaviours (physical activity and time spent watching television, using computers and playing video games), ways of improving health, and health care utilization, including traditional medicine.
The APS was designed to provide data on the social and economic conditions of Aboriginal peoples in Canada (excluding reserves). It collected information on topics including education, language, labour activity, sources of income, health, communication technology, mobility and housing.
Information for children aged 6 to 14 was provided by parents or guardians of over 5,000 Métis children. Information for those aged 15 and over was based on responses from about 9,000 Métis. Findings related to the health of the total Canadian population aged 15 and over are available from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey.
Self-rated health of the Métis
Respondents were asked to rate their health on a five-point scale ranging from excellent to poor. In 2006, 58% of Métis adults stated that their health was excellent or very good, the same percentage as in 2001. Self-rated health was similar for men and women.
The total population aged 35 and over rated their health as excellent or very good more often than the Métis population. For example, 52% of the total population aged 55 to 64 rated their health as excellent or very good, compared with 40% of Métis in this age group. However, among young people aged 15 to 19, 75% of Métis rated their health as excellent or very good, compared with 67% in the total population.
The majority (84%) of Métis children aged 6 to 14 were reported by their parents/guardians to be in excellent or very good health, about the same percentage as in 2001. The figures were similar for Métis girls and boys.
Health care utilization
About 81% of Métis reported they had access to a family doctor, slightly less than the total population. This figure was slightly lower for Métis men than women, again similar to the total population. Métis women were also slightly more likely than men to rate the availability of a family doctor as poor.
In 2006, the parents/guardians of over half (54%) of Métis children indicated that their children had seen a pediatrician, general practitioner, or family doctor in the 12 months prior to the survey.
One-third of Métis reported that traditional medicines or wellness practices were available in their community. Those living in urban areas were more likely than those in rural areas to report the availability of such practices.
About 11% of Métis adults said there was a time when they needed health care in the year prior to the survey, but did not receive it. This was almost identical to the proportion in the total population.
Ways to improve health
In both 2001 and 2006, a high proportion of Métis adults, about 7 in 10, reported that there was something they could do to improve their health, most often identifying "increasing exercise."
In 2006, Métis were less likely to report quitting smoking as the most important thing to improve their health compared with 2001. This decline could be related to the fact that many had already reduced their smoking. In 2006, 31% of Métis adults smoked on a daily basis, down from 37% in 2001.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3250.
Data from the 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey are now available.
The article "An overview of the health of the Métis population" is now available as part of the 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (89-637-XWE2009004, free) series from the Publications module of our website.
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Media Relations (613-951-4636), Communications and Library Services Division.
Analytical files for the 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey are available in Research Data Centres across Canada. For more information about the Research Data Centre program, contact Gustave Goldmann (613-951-1472), Research Data Centre program.
