Statistics Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) websites contain a wealth of publicly accessible data with relevance to public health. Being able to interpret and communicate these data is an essential skill in epidemiology. In this assignment, we will access the PHAC website to explore surveillance data, and continue to apply our understanding of epidemiologic concepts to interpreting data and identifying patterns, a foundation of epidemiologic analysis.

Surveillance is an important function of epidemiology. It has been very much in the public eye throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with many Canadians frequently checking updates on numbers of cases and rates of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. While many people only became aware of surveillance systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has had strong surveillance systems in place for years for both communicable and noncommunicable diseases.

Respond to the following questions using the information obtained from the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System (see technical instructions below).

7. Describe the pattern of incidence and prevalence of diabetes by age and gender.

Cite data to support your response. [7 marks] 15 sentences

8.If you were developing a public health awareness program to prevent diabetes, which age/sex group would you target and why? Cite data to support your argument. [5 marks]

10 sentences

9. What are the strengths and limitations of these CCDSS data for diabetes surveillance in Canada? [6 marks]

15 sentences