What is the Child Health Data Inventory?
The Child Health Data Inventory is a comprehensive inventory of over 100 Canadian datasets that can be used to search for specific intersections of child/family health and equity variables based on our Conceptual Framework for Child Flourishing in Canada. Through this tool, we strive to promote and facilitate access to existing datasets relevant to child health equity research.
For any other inquiries, or suggestions on how we can improve our Data Inventory, please send an email to leong.centre@sickkids.ca.
What is Included in the Data Inventory?
Description. Provides a summary of the scope of the dataset and what type of information is available.
Flourishing Indicators. Measures of child and family flourishing included in the Leong Centre's adapted Conceptual Framework for Child Flourishing in Canada. These include: Adolescent Suicide, Life Satisfaction, Access to Maternal & Child Mental Health Services, Protection from Violence, Early Child Development & School Readiness, Access to Maternal & Child Health Services, Child Health & Morbidity, Parental Health & Morbidity, Overweight & Obesity, Growth & Nutrition, Educational Achievement, Social Skills, Health Promoting Environment, Reproductive & Sexual Health, Lack of Poverty
Jurisdiction. Refers to the region from which the data is collected, and includes the following categories: Ontario Only, Pan-Canadian, International.
Category. Refers to the type of data categorized as follows:
- Survey Data. Survey data include data collected from a sample of respondents. Data are collected from a targeted audience about a specific topic to conduct research. Survey methods may be cross-sectional or longitudinal, and conducted through include online or paper or questionnaires, telephone surveys, or in-person interviews.
- Routinely Collected Health Data. Routinely collected health data included data collected during health system encounters, including physicians’ offices, diagnostic procedures, hospital admissions, among others. These data are collected to examine health system delivery or performance.
- Routinely Collected Social and Environmental Data. Data sources related to social services provided to families, such as housing, financial assistance, childcare, employment, as well as sources of area and community-level data such as resources, neighbourhood safety, and built environment, among others.
- Clinical Registry. Clinical disease or patient registries including records of individuals with specific conditions, diagnoses, procedures or interventions. Registries provide information on clinical practice, patient outcomes, safety and effectiveness, treatment outcomes and costs.
- Large Prospective Cohorts. Prospective cohorts include observational data on specific disease or clinical populations in real time, extracted from administrative data or electronic health record systems.
Population. The individuals and groups represented in each database, including:
- Perinatal (Maternal & Newborns). Includes data on maternal health (health status, health service use), fertility (treatment, procedures), prenatal (antenatal) care, hospital admissions (pregnancy, labour, birth) post-natal care, early newborn care and screening (age < 30 days), fetal and congenital anomalies, and neonatal outcomes.
- Children & Adolescents. Includes data related to health and social outcomes among children and adolescents aged 30 days to 19 years.
- Families. Data on family and household characteristics and outcomes (e.g. income, educational attainment, employment, family type/composition, social assistance, access to childcare).
Access. How the data can be accessed.
Link. External URL for more information on the dataset, including methodology, data definitions, variables, and related documentation.
How Can Data be Accessed?
This inventory does not provide data access. Information on how to access the specific data associated with the datasets can be found in the details of each, but in general can be accessed through the following:
- ICES data holdings: https://www.ices.on.ca/Data-and-Privacy/ICES-data/Working-with-ICES-Data
- Statistics Canada Microdata Access (information on accessing data using the Public Use Microdata File (PUMF) and Research Data Centres (RDCs): https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/microdata
List of Datasets (A-Z)
Immunization Records Information System (IRIS)
Description: The Immunization Records Information System (IRIS) was developed for public health departments in 1993 to maintain the immunization and tuberculin testing records of all school-aged children within their jurisdictions. Immunization levels are calculated for each of the six diseases (diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps and rubella) for which immunization is required under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (1982). In addition to mandatory vaccines, IRIS typically records all childhood vaccines, especially those that are publicly funded, including Hepatitis B, Varicella, Haemophilus, Pneumococcal and Meningococcal Conjugate C. Starting in 2004 chickenpox and meningitis is included.
Access: Public Health Ontario
Integrated Criminal Court Survey
Description: National database of statistical information on appearances, charges, and cases in youth courts and adult criminal courts. Youth component includes data on youth aged 12 to 17 years.
Access: Statistics Canada
Integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS)
Description: Case information on all reportable communicable diseases for provincial and national surveillance, as well as adverse events following immunization, as described in the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA). All ages, by gender.
Access: ICES, Public Health Ontario
Intergenerational Income Database (IID)
Description: The Intergenerational Income Database (IID) is a database that links children and their parents using administrative tax data, allowing researchers and analysts to study intergenerational phenomena such as transmission of earnings from parents to children and income mobility.
Access: Statistics Canada
Legacy Motherisk Patient database (LMRPD)
Description: The Motherisk Patient database includes information about medication and non-medication exposures before, during, and after pregnancy. Detailed information on antenatal and lactation exposures to medications and other substances were recorded using paper and electronic intake forms. Specific variables collected during each call include drug name, dose, and timing of exposure during pregnancy (if applicable). Data are collected by telephone and in person by Motherisk clinicians.
Access: The Hospital for Sick Children
Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD)
Description: The Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD) is a longitudinal file designed as a research tool on income and demographics. It comprises a 20% sample of the annual T1 Family File (record number 4105). The longitudinal LAD file contains many annual demographic variables about the individuals represented, including the landing year of recent immigrants and an immigration flag, and annual income information for both the individual and their census family in that year. Since 2017, a linking key variable is available on the Longitudinal Immigration Database (record number 5057) which permits researchers to link all key characteristics of those tax filing immigrants on the Longitudinal Immigration Database to their records on the LAD, from 1982 onward.
Access: Statistics Canada
Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB)
Description: The IMDB includes administrative immigration data for all immigrants since 1952 and non-permanent residents since 1980. Outcomes for this population are available from tax files since 1982. The IMDB provides detailed and reliable information on socioeconomic outcomes of immigrants after their admission, such as employment income and mobility. It connects short- and long-term outcomes with characteristics at admission, such as immigrant admission category, source country and knowledge of official languages. The database provides information on pre-admission experience in Canada, citizenship acquisition since 2005 and details on the admission of economic immigrants. The wages and salaries data, children's family outcomes, and settlement services participation since 2013 are also available.
Access: Statistics Canada
Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) study
Description: The objectives of the MIREC study are to (1) measure the extent to which pregnant women and their babies are exposed to common environmental chemicals; (2) measure some of the beneficial elements in maternal milk; (3) assess what health risks, if any, are associated with the chemical levels measured, with a focus on heavy metals such as lead and mercury; and (4) create a data and biological specimen bank for further research on fetal growth, pregnancy and health of mother and baby.
Access: Health Canada
MOMBABY
Description: This MOMBABY dataset links hospital admission records of delivering mothers and their newborns, each record ideally corresponding to a mother-child pair.
Access: ICES
Narcotics Monitoring System (NMS)
Description: The Narcotics Monitoring System (NMS) collects data on dispensed prescriptions for narcotics, controlled substances and other monitored drugs, prescribed in Ontario.
Access: ICES