Thinking about your health

National health surveys

Since 2003, Desjardins Financial Security has conducted annual surveys in order to better understand the attitudes and perspectives of Canadians, particularly related to their physical, mental and financial health.

The insight these surveys provide helps us be more responsive and flexible in meeting the needs of our clients, but it also helps us to contribute to Desjardins Group's mandate to educate Canadians on a variety of social and financial matters.

2011 edition

The 2011 Health Survey was conducted between April 13 and 20, 2011, with a sample size of 2,115 Canadians between 18 – 64 years of age.

Canadians were asked about their attitudes towards:

Physical health
Psychological health
Critical illness
Health supports
Health challenges and concerns
Financial concerns

Cancer – Canadians' #1 health concern

According to the survey, Canadians are more afraid of cancer than any other health concern. Twenty-four per cent of survey respondents identify it as their greatest health fear.

Interestingly, this is especially true for Canadians who feel that their physical health is good. Other top concerns identified by Canadians include:

Alzheimer's disease or dementia (12.1 per cent)
disability caused by an accident (9.9 per cent)
a chronic illness such as MS or diabetes (8.3 per cent)
aging (8.0 per cent)
a heart attack (7.9 per cent)
a stroke (4.4 per cent)

Canadians are taking care of their health…

The survey suggests that Canadians feel they are taking care of their health. More than two thirds feel that adopting a healthy lifestyle is a significant part of illness prevention. And 70 per cent have made significant personal changes to their lifestyle in order to be healthier. In addition, despite their health fears, close to two-thirds of respondents were confident they would survive a critical illness.

…but what about their finances?

The results also show that while Canadians feel they are doing what they can to improve their physical health, many aren't taking necessary steps to financially prepare. Almost three-quarters of respondents feel that the health care system will not cover all the costs related to the treatment of a critical illness and 64 per cent are worried that they could not afford the balance. Sixty-seven per cent say an illness would make them financially vulnerable and they would likely need to turn to family for financial support. Close to the same number feel that creating an emergency fund in case of a future serious illness was important. Most alarmingly, almost three-quarters of Canadians have taken no steps to financially prepare for a possible critical illness.

2010 edition

Our seventh survey was conducted over the web in March 2010. In total, 1 769 interviews were conducted with a sample of Canadian workers. The following themes were included:

Physical and psychological health of Canadians
Main causes of stress
Sandwich generation
Difficult events and strategies to overcome them
Stress level at work
Workers' satisfaction level with their job

Stress Management 2.0

Canadians can measure their own stress level by taking the Mood Detector test at www.mooddetector.ca or on the National Mental Health Week Facebook page: "Canadian Mental Health / Santé mentale des Canadiens". They can also receive tips on how to enhance their mental health by subscribing to the National Mental Health Week's Twitter: "CANMentalHealth".

The Sandwich Generation

As the Canadian population continues to age and live longer, many adult children are taking on the added responsibility of caring for elderly parents while managing their own family and professional obligations, a new trend that could have a significant impact on their mental health. Indeed, the survey results show that they are highly stressed and their burden will increase over the next few years.

The survey defines the sandwich generation as adult children assisting their parents with their daily domestic and/or psychological needs and/or financially supporting both parents and children simultaneously. Of the respondents of the survey:

13% assist their parents in carrying out domestic activities.
47% of those who do, consider it as stressful.
7% need to support both their parents and children financially.
78% of them qualify this situation as very or somewhat stressful.
Workers who financially support parents and children mainly struggle with managing their schedule to make themselves available for both parents and children (37%), to make themselves available for visits to health professionals with their parents (33%) and to provide psychological support during disability and illness (32%).

Of the workers currently assisting their parents either with daily activities and/or financially, 24% expect the needs to remain the same and 67% expect their parents’ assistance needs to increase in the coming years.

2009 edition

For the 6th consecutive year, Desjardins Financial Security has surveyed Canadians to find out how they feel about their physical and mental health. This year, we focused on finding out how employees and employers are managing in this recession.

Employee highlights

Since the start of the recession, 36% have been more stressed and 83% are watching what they spend
43% are worried about losing their jobs
47% think the recession will last at least a year, while 18% don't know how long it's going to last

To find out more, download the results of our 2009 health survey – employee highlights (PDF, 152 KB). A breakdown by region (PDF, 154 KB) is also available.

Employer highlights

53% think the recession will last at least a year
64% have told their employees how the current recession has impacted the organization's activities and revenue
37% agree that the current recession is having a negative effect on employees' physical health
61% agree that current recession is having a negative effect on employees' mental health

For more information, download the results of our 2009 health survey – employer highlights (PDF, 145 KB)

You can also discover the differences between how employees and employers see things! (PDF, 248 KB)

For more information on the results from the survey, you can also take a look at the "Stay Well" brochure (PDF, 867 Ko)

2008 edition

2008 Health is Cool! survey (booklet 3)

Finding a healthy work-life balance

88% of respondents say parents with full-time jobs have difficulty finding time just to relax
56% say they spend less and less free time with friends
39% say they spend less and less free time with family

To find out more, download the booklet! (PDF, 1,3 MB)

For plan sponsors and employee benefits consultants

Plan sponsors and employee benefits consultants, this booklet (PDF, 700 KB) is for you! Take advantage of the information in it to create a productive and healthy workplace free of unnecessary stress.

2007 edition

In this 4th edition of Desjardins Financial Security’s national health survey, Canadians had a lot to say about how they perceive:

Workaholics
How mental health issues are handled in the workplace as compared to physical ailments
Money issues at home and what would be their main problems if they won the lottery!
How they perceive their employers, particularly what they're doing to promote work-life balance

Download our booklet! (PDF, 1,2 Mo)

2006 edition

2006 Health is Cool! survey (booklet 1)

By reading volume 1 of the Health is Cool! survey, you can:

Explore how Canadians' perceive mental health issues and the impact of 24/7 access to technology
Learn about workplace hot buttons, and get ideas on managing stress and achieving a healthy work-life balance

Download our booklet! (PDF, 1,2 MB)

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