Long-term Employment and Health Inequalities in Canadian Communities

Objectives: This study examines the long-term unemployment rate and various health outcomes across Canadian communities to estimate employment-related health inequalities in these communities. Methods: The study uses cross-sectional community-level health data along with data on the long-term employment rate for various communities across Canada to quantify health inequalities among these communities. The health outcomes that are considered in this study include total and disease specific mortality rates; health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, injuries, and self rated health; and life expectancies at birth and at age 65. Health inequalities are estimated using the concentration index, which is used to measure health inequalities along socioeconomic dimensions. The concentration index is estimated by a regression of weighted relative health (ill health) over weighted cumulative relative rank of the populations. All the estimates are provided separately for males and females. Results: The findings of the study support the existence of inequalities in communit