Asthma, 2009
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Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways that causes coughing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and wheezing. Quality of life can be affected not only by asthma attacks, but also by absences from work and limitations in other activities.1
In 2009, 8.1% of Canadians 12 years and older reported they had been diagnosed with asthma by a health professional. This rate did not significantly change from 2001 to 2009.
Throughout the period, females were more likely than males to report that they had asthma—9.4% compared with 6.7% in 2009 (Chart 1).
Chart 1
Percentage diagnosed with asthma, by sex, household population aged 12 and older, Canada, 2001 to 2009
Source: Canadian Community Health Survey, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Females were more likely than males to have asthma in most age groups except the 12–to–19 group and the 75–and–older group; there was no significant difference between the sexes (Chart 2).
Chart 2
Percentage diagnosed with asthma, by age group and sex, household population aged 12 and older, Canada, 2009
Source: Canadian Community Health Survey, 2009.
The proportion of residents reporting asthma was higher than the national average in Manitoba (10.7%), and lower than the national average in Quebec (7.3%) and Nunavut (3.5%—which should be interpreted with caution).
End notes
1. Chen, Yue, Helen Johansen, Satha Thillaiampalam and Christie Sambell, 2005, "Asthma." Health Reports. Vol. 16, no. 2. March. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 82-003. p. 43. /studies-etudes/82-003/archive/2005/7790-eng.pdf (accessed May 10, 2010).
References
Chen, Yue, Helen Johansen, Satha Thillaiampalam and Christie Sambell, 2005, "Asthma." Health Reports. Vol. 16, no. 2. March. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 82-003. p. 43–46. /studies-etudes/82-003/archive/2005/7790-eng.pdf (accessed May 10, 2010).
Data
Additional data from the Canadian Community Health Survey are available from CANSIM table 105–0501.
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