According to a recent study by the Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI) of the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), the neighbourhood in which you live plays a role in determining your health.
Using information from the 2001 Census from Statistics Canada, the study looked at neighbourhoods according to five characteristics, including: income, education, recent immigration, people living alone and lone-parent families.
Not surprisingly, researchers found that people living in neighbourhoods with higher income and education levels were more likely to be active in their leisure time, less likely to smoke and more likely to report excellent or very good health.
Other factors linked to health include a neighbourhood's social and physical characteristics. The proportion of people reporting that they were overweight or obese tended to be lower in urban neighbourhoods situated close to downtown.
Injury rates also differed by neighbourhood. Neighbourhoods that had a higher-than-average percentage of recent immigrants and/or percentage of lone-parent families were less likely to report having had an injury in the past 12 months.
All research on this web site is the property of Leslie Beck Nutrition Consulting Inc. and is protected by copyright. Keep in mind that research on these matters continues daily and is subject to change. The information presented is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. It is intended to provide ongoing support of your healthy lifestyle practices.