Public Health Report: Heart Disease in Canada (2020)

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of heart disease in Canada, examining its impact from a public health perspective. It begins with an introduction to heart disease as a leading cause of death globally and specifically in Canada. The report delves into current data findings, highlighting the prevalence and incidence rates across different age groups and genders. It explores the influence of heart disease across Canadian provinces, noting regional variations and risk factors. The analysis further extends to trends within the Canadian healthcare sector, comparing them with other countries and discussing strategies adopted to address heart disease, including preventive measures and government initiatives. The report concludes with an overview of the Canadian healthcare system's response to heart disease, emphasizing technological advancements and changes in service delivery. The document is a valuable resource for students seeking to understand the complexities of heart disease within the Canadian context, and it is available on Desklib alongside other academic resources.

2020
Health Issues in Canada
SystemJP

HEALTH ISSUES 1
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Heart Disease in Canada............................................................................................................2
Current Data findings.............................................................................................................3
Influence of Heart Disease within Canada.................................................................................4
Trends within the health care sector and comparative analysis with other countries................5
Strategies adopted to address the issue of heart disease............................................................6
Health care in Canada............................................................................................................7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................9

HEALTH ISSUES 2
Introduction
Heart disease is among the leading issues that led towards the death of the individuals
worldwide. Heart disease is reflected as a condition in which the blood vessels get blocked or
narrowed and as a result, it led towards chest pain, stroke or heart attack. The governments of
the nations are focusing upon adapting treatments facilities and conducting research so that
the rate at which the heart diseases are increasing can be controlled and the risk can be
avoided. Various factors contribute towards the heart disease within the individuals including
the age and the gender factors. The report is focused on analysing the impact of the heart
disease within Canada and analysing the regions within the economy where the heart disease
has the highest rates. The report also analyses the trends for heart disease within Canada, and
a detailed comparison with the other nations within the world in case of heart diseases.
Heart Disease in Canada
Heart Disease is considered as a serious problem in Canada, as apart from cancer the
heart diseases are considered as the major cause that results in death as well as a cause of
hospitalisation. The data received by the officials indicate that approx. every 12 Canadians
who are diagnosed with heart disease die per hour. Heart disease is widely spreading within
Canada and is a complex disease which makes it difficult to understand the basic factors due
to which the disease is spreading and how to control such factors. Within Canada Men are
mostly affected by heart diseases as compared to women, the newly diagnosed cases of heart
disease are more in male rather than female (PHAC, 2017).
Several factors contribute towards the heart disease within the individual, such as age,
family history, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, unhealthy diets, and excessive
smoking and drinking alcohol. Such factors contribute towards the increase in the risk of
heart disease, in Canada, the peoples of 40 years or above are diagnosed with heart failures.

HEALTH ISSUES 3
The risk of heart disease can be controlled by analysing the family history of the patient and
through controlled eating and drinking habits. Canada government has made heart health
priority by implementing policies and focusing on the reduction of the rates of increasing
heart diseases. As a result, the rate of heart diseases is declining in Canada due to the
innovations in research as well as prevention efforts (PHAC, 2019).
Current Data findings
The population of Canada is suffering from the heart disease irrespective of their age
factor or their gender. Among the Canadians, aged 20 years or older 158,700 adults are newly
diagnosed with heart diseases approx. 6.1 per 1000 of the adults living within Canada and
almost 63,200 adults had first heart attack 2.3 per 1000 of the Canadian adults. Among the
adults who were aged 40 years or above, 92,900 were diagnosed with heart failure which
results in around 5.2 per 1000 adults of 40 or above. The death rate due to the heart disease
within Canada is three times higher among the adults of age 20 or above as compared with
those who do not have heart disease (Canada.ca, 2017).
90% of the people living in Canada have at least one risk factor contributing to the
risk of heart disease. Among the individuals who were diagnosed with heart stroke or
cognitive condition discharged from the hospital, were re-admitted with the related condition.
Canadians get exposed to a heart disease with the increasing age, as the population of 65
years or above were newly diagnosed with heart disease as compared to the adults of 25-44
years of age (Canada.ca, 2017). 71% of the population living in Canada of age 40 or above
having heart failures also have heart diseases, and approximately 20% of the populations,
with the heart disease, also have heart failures (PHAC, 2018).

HEALTH ISSUES 4
Influence of Heart Disease
Across Canada, the population living within different province/territory are affected
by heart disease, among the province of Canada Nova Scotia reported high of 9.7% of the
population affected with heart disease and Nunavut reported a lower of 4.6% in 2012-13. The
impact of heart failure due to age factor is highly recorded within Nunavut at a rate of 6.4%.
in 2012-13 Nunavut recorded an increase in health disease as from 4.5 per 100 to 8.2 per
thousand. As compared to the average of the cases of heart failures within Canada, British
Columbia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba experienced a high heart failure whereas
province such as Ontario, Nova Scotia and Quebec recorded a lower heart failure as
compared to the Canadian average (PHAC, 2018).
Atlantic provinces of Canada recorded a high-risk factor in terms of the low
consumption of fruits and vegetables, low physical activity, smoking and alcohol abuse and
the increase in diabetes and hypertension, such factors contribute towards the development of
heart disease within the individuals. Heart Failure rates within the province of Canada were
found to be higher in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
The age factor within the Canadian population contributes towards an effective factor
within the increased risk of heart disease, among the patients with diagnosed heart failure
approx. 71% were of age group 40 or above. Approximately 669,600 adults residing within
Canada under the age group of 40 or above have diagnosed heart failure. Research conducted
within Canada identifying the population affected with heart disease resulted that around 2.4
million adults within Canada were living with heart disease in 2012-13 and approx. 158,700
individuals were newly diagnosed with heart disease within the year. The facts represent that
the women who had a heart attract are more likely to die in comparison to the male adults, as
the women adults are 30% more likely to die as compared to a male who had a heart attack.
The rate of heart disease in Canada is declining. The government is focusing on adapting

HEALTH ISSUES 5
preventive measures so that the risk can be controlled or eliminated (Government of Canada,
2017).
Trends within the Canadian health care sector and comparative analysis with other countries
As per the report presented by Statistics Canada, 49,271 individuals died due to heart
disease in 2015 (Statistcs Canada, 2015). As with the increase in the rate of heart disease
among the citizens of Canada the government analysed the importance of implementing
Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan (CHHS) focused on investigating the
potential impact on the future health factors within the nation and adopting strategies to
reduce the rate of heart disease within Canada. By 2015, the CHHS developed a mission to
promote healthy eating habits among the Canadian children and to decrease the rate of
Canadian adults who were overweight by 20%. By 2020, CHHS developed an aim to
decrease hypertension in the Canadian age group of 18-74 years by 32% and to reduce the
overall smoking rate by 25% (Thériault, Stonebridge, & Browarski, 2020).
The Canadian adult of the age group of 20 years or older have recorded a decline in
the heart rate disease from 2000-01 to 2012-13, as from 22.5% to 17.1% (PHAC, 2018). The
Conference Board of Canada has identified that manging the high cholesterol through the
adoption of new medication will help in minimizing the death rate due to the heart disease
and will help the Canada economy to save up to $34.8 billion in next 20 years (CBC, 2017).
Heart Disease is a major factor that results in death in Canada as well as in Australia.
The heart diseases have resulted in over 17 million deaths worldwide, including 4.6 million
deaths in Europe, 4.7 million deaths in Western Pacific, and over 23 million deaths globally
are to be predicted by 2030. The countries with low- and middle-income groups are most
affected by death due to heart diseases. Heart diseases have resulted in the death of a third of
all the death of the women globally (World Health Federation, 2017). In 2016, Heart diseases

HEALTH ISSUES 6
have resulted in approximately 13% of the deaths in the US and approximately an American
suffers a heart attack every 40 seconds. In 2013, heart diseases were among the most
expensive conditions treated within the US Hospitals (American Heart Association, 2019).
Strategies adopted to address the issue of heart disease
The health ministry of Canada has implemented various preventive measures to
control the impact of heart disease within the nation and to control the rate at which it is
increasing within the nation. The common risk factors include smoking and alcohol
consumption, physical inactivity and poor nutrition which contributes towards heart disease
within the individuals. The public Health Agency of Canada is focusing on changing the
policies and developing strategies towards the prevention of heart disease and with a focus on
eliminating the common risk factors (Evaluation Directorate, 2015). Canadian Institute for
Health Research and Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada are focusing on preventing and
to control hypertension and are working towards increasing awareness and treatment for
hypertension as hypertension is also a major factor in the increasing rate of heart disease
within the societies.
The health agency has adopted integrated vascular prevention programme to reduce
the risk of disease within the individuals, as a program that is nurse-led and is a
multidisciplinary approach is effective for changing the lifestyle and risk factors within the
individual. Therefore, developing such an integrated and coordinated approach is required to
eliminate or to decrease the risk of increasing heart disease (Connolly, Kotseva, Jennings, &
Atrey, 2017). Government has an important role in ensuring the safety of its citizens,
therefore the government continuously focus on the increasing awareness among the societies
about the adaption of the preventive measures so that such issues can be eliminated from the
society, government agencies have developed effective partnerships and have defined the

HEALTH ISSUES 7
paths through which they will be able to implement sustainable improvements within the
population health (Tomaselli, RoachJD , Piña, Oster, & Dietz, 2018).
Health care in Canada
The health care system of Canada has transformed itself, as it has faced many
challenges due to which it has included changes within the industry including the utilisation f
new technologies and the way the services are being delivered. Medical advances have led
towards a decline in the number of patients who spent their nights within the hospital during
treatment. The changes within the Canada health care has also focused on the primary health
care delivery and has established community primary health care centres that provide on-call
service to the patients. Canada has focused on the adaption of the e-health strategies which
included maintaining electronic health records and providing telehealth facility, such
initiatives are the significant drivers of innovation within the health care sector and such
innovations also led towards ensuring patient safety during the treatment (Government of
Canada, 2019).
The healthcare sector in Canada has resulted in certain transformation within the
sector, and as a result approx. 70% of the cost of healthcare is funded by the Canadian
Government, which ultimately provides free treatment to the citizens (Wealth Management,
2016). Deloitte survey 2019 indicates that despite the differences the consumers within
Canada are interested in engaging with health systems in different ways, as the customers
demand more transparency and convenience, therefore the changes are adopted within the
industry so that the customers can be provided with more convenient services (Allen, 2019).
Conclusion
Heart disease is among the leading cause that causes death within Canada,
approximately 12 individuals having heart disease die per hour. The major factors that

HEALTH ISSUES 8
contribute towards the increase of the heart disease among the patients include age-related
factors, as the people of age, 40 or more tend to have a high risk of heart disease, the
unhealthy eating habits, excessive alcohol and drug abuse also contribute towards the
increased risk of heart disease among the individuals. The government is focusing on the
adaption of the innovative and technological changes within the health care so that the risk of
heart disease can be minimised. The government has focused on creating awareness among
the people for healthy eating habits.
The Canadian Health Sector has implemented certain technological changes to
enhance the service quality that is being provided to the individuals, also the government has
established community primary health care centres so that the individuals can be provided
effective treatment facilities at their convenience. The government initiatives have resulted in
the decline of the rate at which the heart disease was growing, the CHHS has developed
targets to reduce hypertension and the unhealthy eating habits of the individuals so that the
cost incurred in the treatment of heart patients can be saved and can be invested within the
growth of the economy.

HEALTH ISSUES 9
References
Allen, S. (2019). 2020 global health care outlook. Deloitte Insights.
American Heart Association. (2019). Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2019. Retrieved
from American Heart Association:
https://healthmetrics.heart.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/At-A-Glance-Heart-
Disease-and-Stroke-Statistics-%E2%80%93-2019.pdf
Canada.ca. (2017). Heart Disease In Canada. Retrieved from Public Health Agency of
canada:
https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/services/publications/
diseases-conditions/heart-disease-fact-sheet/heart-disease-factsheet-eng.pdf
Connolly, S., Kotseva, K., Jennings, C., & Atrey, A. (2017). Outcomes of an integrated
community-based nurse-led cardiovascular disease prevention programme. Cardiac
risk factors and prevention, 840-847.
Evaluation Directorate. (2015, January). Evaluation of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s
Chronic Disease Prevention Activities 2009-2010 to 2014-2015. Retrieved from
Health Agency of Canada:
https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/migration/phac-aspc/about_apropos/
evaluation/reports-rapports/2014-2015/cdp-pmc/assets/pdf/cdp-pmc-eng.pdf
Government of Canada. (2017, July 18). Heart disease in Canada: Highlights from the
Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System. Retrieved from Government of
Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-
conditions/heart-disease-canada-fact-sheet.html

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Government of Canada. (2019, September 17). Canada's Health Care System. Retrieved
from Government of Canada:
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-care-system/reports-
publications/health-care-system/canada.html#a12
Public Health Agency of Canada . (2018, May). Report From The Canadian Chronic Disease
Surveillance System: Heart Disease In Canada, 2018. Retrieved from Public Health
Agency of Canada:
https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/services/publications/
diseases-conditions/report-heart-disease-canada-2018/pub1-eng.pdf
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2017, February 10). Heart Disease in Canada. Retrieved
from Government of Canada:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/
heart-disease-canada.html
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2019, February 01). Message from the Minister of Health
– Heart Month. Retrieved from Government of Canada:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2019/01/message-from-the-minister-of-
health--heart-month.html
Statistcs Canada. (2015, November 27). Deaths and mortality rate, by selected grouped
causes, sex and geography — Canada. Retrieved from Statistcs Canada:
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/84f0209x/2009000/t001-eng.htm
The Conference Board of Canada. (2017, April 27). New Medication for High-Risk
Populations Could Reduce the Health and Economic Burden of Heart Disease.
Retrieved from The Conference Board of Canada:
https://www.conferenceboard.ca/press/newsrelease/17-04-27/New_Medication_for_H

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igh-
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Thériault, L., Stonebridge, C., & Browarski, S. (2020). The Canadian Heart Health Strategy.
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Tomaselli, G., RoachJD , W. H., Piña, I. L., Oster, M. E., & Dietz, W. H. (2018).
Government continues to have an important role in promoting cardiovascular health.
American Heart Journal, 160-165.
Wealth Management. (2016). The changing landscape of healthcare in Canada. Retrieved
from Wealth Management: https://www.rbcwealthmanagement.com/ca/en/research-
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World Health Federation. (2017, May 16). Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) - Global facts
and figures. Retrieved from World Health Federation: https://www.world-heart-
federation.org/resources/cardiovascular-diseases-cvds-global-facts-figures/