Lifestyle Habits and Health Indicators of Québec Anglophones

As part of an initiative to evaluate the health status of Québec anglophones, their lifestyle habits and certain health indicators were examined by area of residence and compared with those of francophones. The data was taken from the 2003, 2007−2008 and 2009−2010 cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), with particular emphasis on the most recent data.

The results show few statistically significant differences in lifestyle habits and health indicators between anglophones and francophones, regardless of survey cycle or area of residence. Among the few significant differences we did find, anglophones report eating less often fruits and vegetables and tended to be more prone to overweight than francophones, but were also more physically active. They also seem to have a stronger sense of community belonging.

The sample of anglophones was relatively small in this survey, which reduces its statistical power and may partially account for the limited differences between the two linguistic groups. Québec's anglophone population could certainly benefit from a larger-scale health survey using a bigger sample. This would provide more robust statistical results and a more reliable indication of whether anglophones differ from francophones in their lifestyle habits and other health indicators. It would also help determine specific actions that could be developed targeting anglophones.