"Good health is a major resource for social, economic and personal development and an important dimension of quality of life. Healthy, productive citizens reduce the burden on the health care system and contribute to a strong economy.
In general, Canada is a healthy nation. Over the past several decades the overall mortality rate and life expectancy have improved considerably, and in general, Canada compares well with the other developed nations. Nevertheless, Canada continues to face significant public health challenges in preventing chronic diseases. Major chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) and diabetes are the cause of 65% of all deaths in Canada each year and are the leading causes of death globally. In addition, depression and anxiety disorders are respectively, the second and eighth leading causes of years of life lost due to disability globally.
This Trend Analysis examines the last ten to fifteen years of available data investigating key risk factors, major chronic diseases and mood and anxiety disorders as well as overall life expectancy
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