Adult overweight and obesity

  • Charts and Tables

    Charts and Tables

    Figure 1.12

    Adults classified as overweight or obese (%), by jurisdiction – 2015-16 years combined

    Overweight and obese categorization is based on self-reported weight and height.

    Data source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey.

    Data Table

    JurisdictionPercent (%)Lower bound of 95% confidence intervalUpper bound of 95% confidence interval
    BC56.855.158.5
    QC60.759.462.0
    ON61.460.262.6
    NU62.456.068.8
    MB64.661.967.3
    AB65.163.267.0
    YT67.461.773.1
    NS69.466.772.1
    SK69.766.972.5
    PE70.866.675.0
    NT72.666.878.4
    NL73.069.576.5
    NB73.169.876.4

    Overweight and obese categorization is based on self-reported weight and height.

    Data source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey.

  • Data specifications

    Data specifications

    Definition: The percentage of adults aged 18 or older classified as overweight or obese

    Rationale for measurement: Reporting on overweight and obesity patterns across the country can monitor progress in promoting and supporting Canadians maintain a healthy body weight and help identify gaps in addressing the continued rise of excess weight in the population.

    Measurement timeframe: Years 2015-16 combined

    Denominator: Total number of adults aged 18 years and older with valid height and weight responses

    Numerator: Number of adults aged 18 years and older with adjusted Body Mass Index (BMI) classified as:

    • 25.00 ≤ BMI ≤ 29.99: overweight
    • 30.00 ≤ BMI: obese

    Exclusion criteria:

    1. Individuals with age ≤ 17 were exclude.
    2. Pregnant women aged 18-55 were excluded
    3. Individuals who “don’t know”, “refusal”, “Not stated” to the relevant questions were exclude

    Data availability: All provinces and territories

    Stratification: By provinces/territories

    Data source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey (CANSIM table 105-0509)

    Data retrieval date: October 2017

    Variables details: Not applicable

    Notes from jurisdictions: Not applicable

    Methodology notes:

    1. Data were downloaded from CANSIM table for the Canadian Community Health Survey data, which are based on a representative sample and then is extrapolated to the overall population.
    2. Adjusted Body Mass Index (BMI) is adopted by Health Canada and is used to classify body weight for this indicator. This is because a systematic review of the literature concluded that the use of self-reported data among adults underestimates weight and overestimates height, resulting in lower estimates of obesity than those obtained from measured data as a screening tool to identify weight-related health risk.
    3. BMI categories are adopted from a body weight classification system recommended by Health Canada and the World Health Organization (WHO) which has been widely used internationally. The categories are:
      • BMI<18.5: underweight
      • 18.5 ≤ BMI ≤ 24.99: normal weight
      • 25.00 ≤ BMI ≤ 29.99: overweight
      • 30.00 ≤ BMI: obese

    Changes to definition compared to previous years: Not applicable

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