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Health Profile – Confidence intervals and statistical significance flags available in download options

Confidence intervals and coefficient of variation (CV) indicate the reliability of the estimates in the context of survey data, generally coming from a sample. In the context of administrative sources, their formulations reflect the year-to-year variability. In both cases, these data quality measures give an indication of the precision of a given estimate.

When comparing estimates, it is important to use confidence intervals to determine if differences between values are statistically significant. Statistical significance flags (comparing regions to province/territory, Canada, and previous cycles) are provided in the comprehensive download data base, currently calculated for data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) only.

Data with a coefficient of variation from 16.6% to 33.3% are to be used with caution and are identified as follows: (E). Data with a coefficient of variation greater than 33.3% are not published because they are too unreliable due to extreme sampling variability. They are identified as follows: (F).

Where applicable, confidence intervals are provided along with data viewed on screen when you download.