Statistics Canada to examine the health of Owen Sound/Meaford residents. Some residents will soon take part in an important survey.

Approximately 500 households will be randomly selected to participate in the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS), a national survey conducted by Statistics Canada. In Owen Sound/Meaford, the survey will begin on March 12, 2019.

The first phase involves an in-home interview with the selected individuals. They will be asked questions about, among other things, nutrition, alcohol and tobacco consumption, medical history, and level of physical activity. In the second phase, participants go to a mobile examination center, temporarily located in the parking lot of the Beaver Valley Community Centre in Thornbury, to undergo a number of tests.

At the mobile examination center, health professionals employed by Statistics Canada will take participants’ physical health measures, including height, weight, neck and waist circumference. The specialists will also do tests to measure blood pressure, fitness level, vision and musculoskeletal health. Finally, biospecimens will be collected to assess participants’ cardiovascular health, nutritional status, and exposure to environmental contaminants.

The participation of selected individuals is important. Data from the CHMS help provide an accurate portrait of the health of Canadians. Various health care stakeholders, including professionals, researchers and public health planners, use this data to adapt programs and services to the population’s needs. Moreover, well-known national organizations such as the Canadian Public Health Association and the Heart and Stroke Foundation have shown their support for the survey.

Our priority: Confidentiality and security. The CHMS is conducted under the authority of the Statistics Act, which guarantees that all the information provided by participants remains confidential. The health specialists hired by Statistics Canada are fully qualified and certified.

Statistics Canada has been conducting the CHMS, in partnership with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, across the country since 2007. For each cycle, 16 sites are randomly selected to participate in the survey. The participants from Owen Sound/Meaford will take part in Cycle 6 of the CHMS.

source: media release, Statistics Canada