Heart Attacks
Definition
The heart attack indicator measures the number of hospitalizations or deaths due to heart attacks per 1,000 residents aged 40 and older.
Why This Matters
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, heart disease is the second leading cause of death after cancer in Canada, and a leading cause of hospitalization. Heart attacks and strokes are associated with social and economic disadvantage. For example, the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy reported in their 2019 RHA Indicators Atlas that heart attack rates “were strongly related to income levels for urban and rural residents … residents in lower income areas had higher AMI [heart attack] rates. Urban residents had lower rates than rural residents.” Opportunities for employment, income, education, and housing have enormous potential to reduce the unequal burden of heart disease.
Measurement and Limitations
The Heart Attacks indicator measures the number of hospitalizations or deaths resulting from heart attacks per 1,000 residents aged 40 and older. They are shown as rates per 1,000 residents per year, not as percent, because these events can happen to the same person more than once over time.
A heart attack is defined by either: “At least one hospitalization with an ICD-9-CM code of 410 or an ICD-10-CA code of 121 and a length of stay (LOS) of at least three days or; [heart attack] listed as the cause of death in Vital Statistics files” (Fransoo, Martens, The Need To Know Team, Prior, Burchill, Bailly & Allegro, 2013). Rates are sex- and age-adjusted.
Data Source
Cui Y, Zinnick S, Henderson A, Dunne L. Winnipeg Health Region Community Health Assessment 2019. Winnipeg, MB. Evaluation Platform, Centre for Healthcare Innovation (CHI) & Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. December 2019. Retrieved from: https://wrha.mb.ca/files/cha-2019-full-report.pdf
Data is updated on Peg as it becomes available from the data providers.
References
Fransoo R, Mahar A, The Need To Know Team, Anderson A, Prior H, Koseva I, McCulloch S, Jarmasz J, Burchill S. The 2019 RHA Indicators Atlas. Winnipeg, MB. Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Autumn 2019. Retrieved from: http://mchp-appserv.cpe.umanitoba.ca/reference/RHA_Report_web.pdf
Fransoo R, Martens P, The Need To Know Team, Prior H, Burchill C, Koseva I, Bailly A, Allegro E. The 2013 RHA Indicators Atlas. Winnipeg, MB. Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, October 2013. Retrieved from: http://mchp-appserv.cpe.umanitoba.ca/reference/RHA_2013_web_version.pdf
Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). 2017. Heart Disease in Canada: Highlights from the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System. Retrieved from: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/heart-disease-canada-fact-sheet.html
Heart Attacks in the Sustainable Development Goals
Click on the SDG to reveal more information
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all at all ages is essential to sustainable development. Significant strides have been made in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of the common killers associated with child and maternal mortality. Major progress has been made on increasing access to clean water and sanitation, reducing malaria, tuberculosis, polio and the spread of HIV/AIDS. However, many more efforts are needed to fully eradicate a wide range of diseases and address many different persistent and emerging health issues.
Related Heart Attacks Targets
By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being