Data quality, concepts and methodology: Definitions

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The definitions used for the production of statistical tables of Canadian vital statistics data are based on those recommended by the World Health Organization ¹  and the United Nations. ² 

Age. Age attained at the last birthday preceding death. In the case of infant deaths, the completed number of months (or minutes, hours, or days) since birth.

Cause of death. The cause of death coded and tabulated is the underlying cause of death. This is defined as "(a) the disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death, or (b) the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury". This underlying cause of death is selected from a number of conditions listed on the medical certificate of cause of death.

Beginning in the year 2000 in Canada, causes of death and stillbirth are coded to the 10th revision of the World Health Organization's International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). The previous revision, ICD-9 ³  was used in Canada for the classification of cause of death and stillbirth from 1979 to 1999.

Death. The permanent disappearance of all evidence of life at any time after a live birth has taken place. Stillbirths are excluded from death statistics unless otherwise indicated.

1. Infant death. Death of a child under one year of age.

Death rates

1. Age-specific death rate: The number of deaths in a particular age group during a given year per 100,000 population in the same age group as of July 1 of the same year.
2. Age-standardized death rate: Age-standardization removes the effects of differences in the age structure of populations among areas and over time. Age-standardized death rates show the number of deaths per 100,000 population that would have occurred in a given area if the age structure of the population of that area was the same as the age structure of a specified standard population.

The formula for an age-standardized death rate r is:

Description: Age standardized death rate r

For age group i:

d_i is the age-sex-specific death count for a particular cause of death for a given year and geographical area,

p_i is the age-sex-specific population estimate for July 1 of the same year and geographical area, and

w_i is the weight for that age group in a standard population. The 1991 Canadian Census of Population, is used as the standard population for the calculation of age-standardized death rates. This standard population and calculated weights are shown in Text table 1. Note that the same weight is used for each sex.

To yield a rate per 100,000 population, r is multiplied by 100,000.

1. Crude death rate: The number of deaths during a given year per 100,000 population as of July 1 of the same year.
2. Infant death rate: The number of infant deaths during a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year.

Delivery. A delivery may consist of one or more live born or stillborn fetuses. The number of deliveries in a given period will be equal to or less than the total number of births because a multiple birth (twins, triplets or higher-order multiple births) is counted as a single delivery.

Gestational age. The interval, in completed weeks, between the first day of the mother's last menstrual period and the day of delivery (that is, the duration of pregnancy). It can also be an estimate of that interval, based on ultrasound, a physical examination, or other method. Canadian birth registration documents do not specify how the gestational age was calculated. Pre-term refers to a period of gestation under 37 completed weeks; term, 37 through 41 completed weeks; and post-term, 42 or more completed weeks.

ICD-10 codes. The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) codes, 10th Revision, were established by the World Health Organization in 1992. The ICD-10 manual assigns codes to specific diseases, injuries and causes of death.

Live birth. The complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, which, after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached.

Population. Persons whose usual place of residence is somewhere in Canada, including Canadian government employees stationed abroad and their families, members of the Canadian Forces stationed abroad and their families, crews of Canadian merchant vessels, and non-permanent residents of Canada.

Mid-year (July 1) population estimates are used to calculate the rates in vital statistics publications (see table footnotes). Population estimates are frequently revised by Statistics Canada's Demography Division.

Provinces and territories. Unless otherwise stated, the geographic distribution of deaths in the tables of this publication is based on the deceased's usual place of residence.

Nunavut came into being officially as a Territory of Canada on April 1, 1999. The name Northwest Territories applies to a Territory with different geographic boundaries before and after April 1, 1999.

Deaths and stillbirths of residents of Nunavut which took place before April 1, 1999 are included with deaths and stillbirths of residents of the Northwest Territories. Deaths and stillbirths which took place on or after April 1, 1999 are tabulated separately for residents of Nunavut.

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