By the Numbers
Obesity has hefty price-tag
Obesity represents 2.4 per cent of total health expenditures for all diseases in Canada. The obesity-related diseases that contribute to the highest costs: high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.
Colorectal cancer on the rise
A new case of colorectal cancer is diagnosed in Canada every 33 minutes; a patient dies from the disease every 80 minutes.
Pharmacist best aid in compliance
Fifty-nine per cent of Canadians say the best way for employers to improve their staff’s compliance rates is to have a pharmacist provide written information with a prescription.
Canadians clueless about pain reliever risks
More than three-quarters of Canadians (76%) are unaware that certain common pain relievers can cause serious gastrointestinal side effects, such as stomach bleeding and ulcers.
Discriminating diseases
Women are two to three times more likely than men to suffer from depression, in part because women’s brains produce less serotonin. Women smokers are also 20 to 70 per cent more likely to develop lung cancer than men.
Sources: Canadian Medical Association Journal: Feb. 23rd ed.; Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada; The 1999 Canadian Consumer Survey on Healthcare; McNeil Consumer Healthcare; Society for the Advancement of Women’s Health Research