Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021
Activities of daily living

Definition

Refers to difficulties a person may have doing certain activities as a result of physical, cognitive, mental, or other health-related conditions or problems.

Statistical unit(s)

• Person

Classification(s)

• Not applicable

Reported in

2021 and 2016 (25% sample); 2011^{Footnote 1} (30% sample); 2006, 2001, 1996, 1991 and 1986 (20% sample).

Reported for

Population in private households

Question number(s)

Question 18

Responses

Response categories included mark-in circles for "no," "sometimes," "often" or "always" for each component of the question on activities of daily living.

Remarks

The question on activities of daily living in the 2021 Census of Population asked the following:

Does this person have any:

1. difficulty seeing (even when wearing glasses or contact lenses)?
2. difficulty hearing (even when using a hearing aid)?
3. difficulty walking, using stairs, using their hands or fingers or doing other physical activities?
4. difficulty learning, remembering or concentrating?
5. emotional, psychological or mental health conditions (e.g., anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, anorexia, etc.)?
6. other health problem or long-term condition that has lasted or is expected to last for six months or more? Exclude: any health problems previously reported in questions 18 a) to 18 e) above.

Notes accompanying the activities of daily living question on both the paper questionnaire and the electronic questionnaire stated:

The following question is about difficulties a person may have doing certain activities. Only difficulties or long-term conditions that have lasted or are expected to last for six months or more should be considered.

The following additional instructions on how to complete the 2021 question on activities of daily living were provided to respondents via a help button accessible in the electronic questionnaire:

Question 18 a) difficulty seeing (even when wearing glasses or contact lenses)?

• If you use glasses or contact lenses, please answer this question based on your ability to see when using these aids.

Question 18 b) any difficulty hearing (even when using a hearing aid)?

• If you use a hearing aid or a cochlear implant, please answer this question based on your ability to hear when using these aids.

Question 18 c) any difficulty walking, using stairs, using their hands or fingers or doing other physical activities?

• When completing this question for very young children (for example, children still learning to walk or to grasp objects), please indicate if the child is having any difficulty that is expected to be of long-term duration.

The question on activities of daily living provides information on the number of people in Canada who may have difficulties doing certain activities, including those who may have a long-term physical, cognitive, mental or other health condition. This information is used as a first step in identifying people who are likely to have a disability, in order to conduct the Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD). This question alone does not provide an estimate of disability in Canada.

Rather, the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD), which is conducted as a follow-up survey to the census, is the main source of disability data in Canada. The population covered by the CSD includes all Canadians aged 15 and over who answered 'sometimes,' 'often,' or 'always' to any of the components of the activities of daily living question on the census.

The main reason that responses to the activities of daily living question cannot be used to estimate disability in Canada is the large number of 'false positives' reported. In other words, a respondent may report difficulties doing certain activities on the census but may not have a disability based on questions asked on the CSD.

There can be a number of reasons for these false positives. For example, it could be persons who were injured, sick or recovering from surgery at the time of census but who were no longer having difficulties or their daily activities were not limited by the difficulties at the time of the CSD, errors in responses obtained by proxy on the census, etc.

As a result of this phenomenon, it is essential that users of census data on activities of daily living be aware that this question cannot be used on its own as an estimate of the population with a disability.

Data on activities of daily living from the 2021 Census will be available upon special request only. These data have received minimum edits and should be used with caution.

Note(s)