Canadian Health Measures Survey (Nova Scotia) – Information and Consent Booklet – Cycle 7

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Table of contents

At a glance

One or two members of your household are invited to take part in a major health initiative led by Statistics Canada called the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS).

By participating in this survey, you will receive valuable information about your health and help to improve the delivery of health services in Canada.

The CHMS is a voluntary survey. Before you decide to participate, it is important that you understand why we are conducting this survey and what your participation involves.

We invite you to read this booklet. Additional information, including videos, is available at Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS).

What is the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS)?

The CHMS is a collaborative project between Statistics Canada, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada. It is a national survey that collects health information from Canadians.

This survey is unique at Statistics Canada since it combines an interview with a physical examination.

What is the purpose of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS)?

The CHMS aims to help us better understand how the health of Canadians aged 1 to 79 is affected by their lifestyle and environment. Questionnaire answers, physical measurements and biological samples from participants provide data that support ongoing research and contribute to exploring emerging public health issues. The main purpose of this survey is to help improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and to promote health and wellness across Canada.

Who uses the information collected?

Objective statistical information is vital to researchers, analysts and decision makers across Canada. CHMS results could be used by

  • Parliament and other policy makers to track major initiatives, set priorities for prevention and research programs, and evaluate policy and program outcomes
  • epidemiologists and biomedical and health service researchers to understand trends in diseases and the relationship between observed risk factors to diseases
  • individual physicians to evaluate the health and risk factors of their patients (for example, by using the reference standards for height, weight and blood pressure that will be developed)
  • public health professionals to track preventable illnesses and evaluate the impact of prevention and intervention programs
  • advocacy groups to raise awareness and help them monitor health problems such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, child nutrition, obesity and health disparities.

How did I get selected to participate in this survey?

Your household was randomly selected. Participants are then chosen based on a selection formula that takes into account the number of people living in the household and the age of each person. The goal is to ensure that the sample represents the Canadian population. By participating, you will be representing up to 6,000 other Canadians.

Why should I participate in this survey?

By participating in this survey, you will provide valuable information that will help us better understand the health factors affecting Canadians. Your information will improve health services in Canada, and this will benefit all Canadians.

You will also receive a free comprehensive health report. This report includes many physical and laboratory test results that you would not typically receive during a regular visit to a medical doctor or other health professional. You may learn something new about your physical health!

What does participating in the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) involve?

The CHMS is a two-step survey:

First step: An in-home interview

An in-home interview lasts one hour and questions cover topics that include

  • Nutrition
  • Tobacco use
  • Drug and alcohol use
  • Medical history
  • Current health condition
  • Lifestyle
  • Demographic, social and economic data.

Second step: A visit to the temporary examination centre (TEC)

The temporary examination centre (TEC) is a locale/space temporarily set up in or near your community. The TEC is designed to ensure your comfort, safety and privacy.

A visit to the TEC lasts one hour and trained and certified health specialists will assess your oral health.

Do I need to agree to everything?

If you feel uncomfortable answering certain questions, you do not need to answer. Also, if you have concerns about certain measurements, please speak to a staff member.

Are there any risks in participating in the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS)?

Participation in the CHMS should not cause you any harm. As with any health examination, some procedures may cause slight discomfort (for example, the sting of a needle during the blood sample). Rest assured that we have chosen these measures and tests because they are safe. We will not ask you to take part in a procedure or test that is not appropriate for your current health status.

Statistics Canada takes all the necessary precautions to ensure that the health information and biological samples are collected in a way that is safe for participants. Qualified and accredited specialists take all the measurements, and they follow strict standard clinical procedures when administering tests.

How will my information be kept private and confidential?

Statistics Canada goes to extraordinary lengths to protect you. Your information is collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, which ensures that it will be kept strictly confidential.

The CHMS also uses the following safeguards:

  • No unauthorized people outside Statistics Canada will ever be allowed to see your individual responses.
  • All Statistics Canada employees are under oath. This means they are subject to severe penalties, including prosecution, if they do not safeguard the confidentiality of your information.
  • Statistics Canada never releases personal information collected in surveys, such as your name, address and phone number. All publications and other releases are carefully reviewed to ensure that no individual or identifiable data are ever published.
  • For the CHMS, we consulted with Health Canada’s Research Ethics Board and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada to ensure that we have every safeguard in place to store your samples securely and to protect your privacy and the confidentiality of your data.

How do I withdraw my consent after participating in the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS)?

You can withdraw your consent at any time. You can request to have any part of the survey removed. To withdraw your consent, visit our web page Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) or see the last page of this booklet for contact information.

Will my travel expenses be reimbursed?

Yes. Every person who takes part in testing at the TEC and completes the survey will receive $150. This amount is to reimburse you for transportation, child care services and parking expenses related to your appointment at the TEC. If two people are selected from the same household and they both complete the survey, each one will receive $150.

Can I receive a volunteering letter?

Yes. If you need one, we can provide you with an official volunteering letter, upon request, to recognize the time spent participating in the survey.

Household interview

What happens during the household interview?

A Statistics Canada interviewer will visit you at your home and give you information about the survey. With your consent, the interviewer will ask you a series of questions. Once the questionnaire has been completed, we will schedule an appointment for you to visit the CHMS TEC.

If children (aged 1 to 11) or youth (aged 12 to 17) are selected to participate, the interviewer will ask them questions similar to those asked of the adults. Parents or guardians of children will answer questions on their behalf. However, if the child is present, they may participate. Youth participants will be able to answer most questions themselves, but their parent or guardian can help if needed.

Why do I need to provide my consent?

The interviewer will ask all participants for their verbal consent at the start of the household questionnaire (for the parent or guardian of participants aged 1 to 14 and for respondents aged 15 to 79).

The interviewer will also require verbal assent from 12- to 14-year-olds, since they will be asked to answer the household questions. The interviewer will not ask for assent from respondents younger than 12, since they do not have to be present for the household interview.

Household steps

  1. Respondent receives intro letter by mail
  2. Interviewer schedules an in-home interview with an adult member of the household
  3. Interviewer visits selected household on scheduled date
  4. Application randomly selects 1-2 respondents
  5. A video is shown to respondents
  6. Consent
  7. Interviewer administers the survey questions
  8. Interviewer assists in scheduling the TEC appointment

Temporary examination centre

What happens at the temporary examination centre (TEC)?

At the end of your in-home interview, the interviewer will provide the pre-testing instructions (e.g., clothing to wear, medications to bring, fasting requirements, etc.). For more information, please see Appendix B. The purpose of the pre-testing instructions is to make sure you are comfortable and safe and to control some factors that could affect certain test results.

Do I have to participate in the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS)?

Participation in this survey is voluntary. In other words, you decide whether or not you want to contribute to this health initiative. If you decide to participate, we will ask you to sign a consent form at the beginning of your visit to the TEC.

Why do I need to provide my consent?

By signing the consent form, you are confirming your willingness to take part in the survey. In particular, you confirm that

  • you have been informed of the purpose of the survey, of how the information collected will be used and of who will use it
  • you have had the opportunity to review the information about the survey and ask questions
  • you understand what is involved in taking part in the survey
  • you have been informed that you can withdraw from the survey at any time or can decline to participate in any test or measurement.

What is the consent process at the TEC?

If you are 15 years or older, we will ask you at the beginning of your appointment to provide written consent to

  • participate in the physical measurement tests
  • receive reports of your test results

If a child aged 1 to 14 is selected to participate in the survey, we will ask their parent or guardian to accompany them to the TEC and to sign the consent form. For children 1 to 2 years, an adult must accompany them at all times during the appointment.

Children aged 6 to 14 will be asked to provide their assent to participate. The form describes some of the tests we will administer and informs the child that

  • we would like them to take part in some tests for the CHMS
  • they do not have to participate in any part of the survey they do not wish to.

Which physical measurements will be taken at the TEC?

The measurements are based on age group. Most of the measurements are not taken during a regular visit to the doctor. Therefore, this is an opportunity for you to get extra information about your health. We will not do any tests or take any measurements without your consent, and the data we collect will remain confidential. One of our health specialists will monitor you throughout the process, and if for any reason, you cannot continue, we will stop the test. You will receive the results for many of these tests on the day of your appointment.
 

Oral health (1 to 79 years)

A dentist will check your teeth, gums and tongue to determine the general health of your mouth. We will also collect a sample of your saliva for future health studies.

Poor oral health can cause tooth decay, gum and bone (periodontal) disease and infections, as well as pain, tooth loss and bad breath. Periodontal disease has also been linked to a higher risk of general health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes.

The results will allow us to assess the oral health of Canadians and will contribute to developing policies for oral care services.

Results

What happens once I complete the survey?

At the end of your TEC appointment, you will receive a report of the results of your physical measures that are available.

Tests conducted as part of the CHMS do not replace regular health care and are not intended to be diagnoses.

Canadian Health Measures Survey publications and data sharing

How are the survey results made available?

To ensure anonymity, results are published at a high level. This means that any information you provide will be combined with the information of other participants and published as averages, totals or proportions. We do not release any information that could identify you or any member of your household.

Where can I find published survey results?

The results of previous cycles of the CHMS have been published in a variety of scientific and medical publications and on Statistics Canada's website. Links to Statistics Canada publications and external publications that have used CHMS data can be found on the CHMS web page.

What is data linkage and could my data be used?

During the survey, we will tell you about the possibility of linking the information you provide to the CHMS with information from other surveys or administrative data sources.

Data linkage combines information on survey participants from at least two different sources. This is done only for statistical and research purposes. Linking data helps governments monitor, evaluate and modify health policies. If you agree to data linkage, we will

  • ask you for your health card number to help with the linkage process
  • combine the information we collect in this survey with some of your information that your provincial health ministry, health registries or other recognized health organizations already have on file
  • remove personal identifiers such as your name, address and health card number from the linked file as soon as the linkage is complete
  • destroy all linkage files at the end of the project.

Only Statistics Canada employees will link the data. All linked data will remain confidential in accordance with the Statistics Act. We will not provide any information about you to your provincial health ministry or any other organization.

For more information on data linkage, visit Microdata Linkage at Statistics Canada.

How could my data be shared?

We will ask you whether you consent to the information you provide through the CHMS being shared with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Sharing data allows researchers to fully use the information collected in order to improve health policies and, in turn, the health of Canadians. Data sharing also enables us to reduce the number of times we have to survey Canadians.

If you consent, we will share your data under the following conditions:

  • We will remove your name, address (except postal code), date of birth and health card number from all files before sharing them.
  • We will not share any information from your provincial health ministry or your health records.
  • We will not share your information with any other party without your consent.
  • Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada will use this information only for statistical and research purposes, and they must ensure its confidentiality.

We will not share or link your data if you do not consent. You can always decline any linking or sharing request, in which case Statistics Canada will not link or share the collected information.

Support from health organizations and associations

The CHMS has received the support of many key Canadian health organizations, including the following:

  • Canadian Public Health Association
  • Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
  • Canadian Association of Optometrists
  • ParticipACTION
  • Hypertension Canada
  • Osteoporosis Canada
  • College of Family Physicians of Canada
  • Glaucoma Research Society of Canada
  • Best Start Resource Centre
  • World Health Organization
  • Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology
  • Obesity Canada
  • Red Cross
  • Canadian Medical Association
  • Canadian Dental Hygienists Association
  • Canadian Dental Association

Appendix A: Pre-testing instructions, Non-fasting appointment

Pre-testing instructions — Non-fasting appointment

My appointment

Date (dd/mm/yyyy):
Time:

To book an appointment

Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m, Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  1. Call the temporary examination centre at 1-866-498-8518 (toll-free).
  2. Provide your Clinic ID number:
  3. Provide your name and indicate that you need a non-fasting appointment.
  4. If you need to reschedule your appointment, please call the TEC at least 24 hours in advance.

Instructions for your appointment

  • Children under 15 years must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for some components of the appointment.
  • Children 1-2 years of age must be accompanied by a non-selected parent or guardian for all components of the appointment.
  • Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment.
  • 6 hours before your appointment:
    • Do not drink any alcoholic beverages. It is not recommended to smoke or consume cannabis.
  • 2 hours before your appointment:
    • Do not urinate as you will be asked to provide a urine sample upon your arrival (for respondents 3-79 years old)
    • Do not smoke or use other tobacco and nicotine products
  • On the day of your appointment:
    • Take your medications as usual
    • Do not exercise
    • Remove all piercings and jewellery (if possible)

What to bring to your appointment

  • All medications (prescription or over-the-counter), natural health products, or supplements.
  • Dental prosthetics (with their cases) and your toothpaste.
  • Appropriate clothing and footwear (short-sleeved top, flat indoor footwear and socks, shorts or loose-fitting clothing, avoid clothing with metal parts, such as zippers, rivets and underwire in bras).
  • Provincial health insurance card.
  • Information of two contact persons (name, address and phone number).
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