Term: Prevalence

Glossary Definition

Last Updated: 2013-10-30

Definition:

The term prevalence refers to the proportion of the population that "has"** a given disease at a given time. The measure of a condition in a population at a given point in time is referred to as point prevalence. A second type is called period prevalence. Over a period of time, such as five years, this measures the number of individuals with a particular condition in the population during that time period. Period prevalence is the most common measure of prevalence used in MCHP studies. Prevalence data provide an indication of the extent of a condition and may have implications for the provision of services needed in a community. Both measures of prevalence are proportions - as such, they do not describe changes over time and should not be described as rates.

** NOTE: In Fransoo et al. (2013), they reported that the "administrative data used for this study do not directly indicate who has a disease, but rather who received health services treatment for that disease; that is, they received some combination of physician visits, hospitalizations, or prescription drugs."

Related concepts 

• Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Use
• Prevalence and Incidence

Related terms 

• Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System (CCDSS)
• Children in a Family Receiving Services from Child and Family Services (CFS)
• Children in Care (CIC) / Ever in Care
• Children Living with a Mother with Mood and/or Anxiety Disorders
• Cross-Sectional Survey
• Incidence / Incidence Rate
• Lung Cancer Incidence and Prevalence
• Manitoba Heart Health Survey (MHHS) Data
• Period Prevalence
• Person-Years / Person Years
• Point Prevalence
• Treatment Prevalence

References 

• Fransoo R, Martens P, The Need to Know Team, Burland E, Prior H, Burchill C, Chateau D, Walld R. Sex Differences in Health Status, Health Care Use, and Quality of Care: A Population-Based Analysis for Manitoba's Regional Health Authorities. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2005. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Lix L, Yogendran M, Burchill C, Metge C, McKeen N, Moore D, Bond R. Defining and Validating Chronic Diseases: An Administrative Data Approach. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2006. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Martens PJ, Fransoo R, McKeen N, The Need to Know Team, Burland E, Jebamani L, Burchill C, De Coster C, Ekuma O, Prior H, Chateau D, Robinson R, Metge C. Patterns of Regional Mental Illness Disorder Diagnoses and Service Use in Manitoba: A Population-Based Study. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2004. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Martens PJ, Bond R, Jebamani L, Burchill C, Roos NP, Derksen S, Beaulieu M, Steinbach C, MacWilliam L, Walld R, Dik N, Sanderson D, Health Information and Research Committee AoMC, Tanner-Spence M, Leader A, Elias B, O'Neil J. The Health and Health Care Use of Registered First Nations People Living in Manitoba: A Population-Based Study. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2002. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Martens PJ, Fransoo R, The Need to Know Team, Burland E, Jebamani L, Burchill C, Black C, Dik N, MacWilliam L, Derksen S, Walld R, Steinbach C, Dahl M. The Manitoba RHA Indicators Atlas: Population-Based Comparison of Health and Health Care Use. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2003. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Shapiro E. Manitoba Health Care Studies and their Policy Implications (Report #91-04-01). Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation, 1991. [Report] (View)

Term used in 

• Brownell M, Chartier M, Santos R, Ekuma O, Au W, Sarkar J, MacWilliam L, Burland E, Koseva I, Guenette W. How are Manitoba's Children Doing? Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2012. [Report] [Summary] [Updates and Errata] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Chartier M, Finlayson G, Prior H, McGowan K, Chen H, de Rocquigny J, Walld R, Gousseau M. Health and Healthcare Utilization of Francophones in Manitoba. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2012. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Finlayson G, Ekuma O, Yogendran M, Burland E, Forget E. The Additional Cost of Chronic Disease in Manitoba. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2010. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Fransoo R, Martens P, Prior H, Chateau D, McDougall C, Schultz J, McGowan K, Soodeen R, Bailly A. Adult Obesity in Manitoba: Prevalence, Associations, and Outcomes. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2011. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Fransoo R, Martens P, Burland E, The Need to Know Team, Prior H, Burchill C. Manitoba RHA Indicators Atlas 2009. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2009. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Fransoo R, Martens P, The Need to Know Team, Prior H, Burchill C, Koseva I, Bailly A, Allegro E. The 2013 RHA Indicators Atlas. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2013. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Katz A, Avery Kinew K, Star L, Taylor C, Koseva I, Lavoie J, Burchill C, Urquia M, Basham A, Rajotte L, Ramayanam V, Jarmasz J, Burchill S. The Health Status of and Access to Healthcare by Registered First Nation Peoples in Manitoba. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2019. [Report] [Summary] [Updates and Errata] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Katz A, Martens P, Chateau D, Bogdanovic B, Koseva I, McDougall C, Boriskewich E. Understanding the Health System Use of Ambulatory Care Patients. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2013. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Kozyrskyj A, Raymond C, Dahl M, Ekuma O, Schultz J, Sklepowich M, Bond R. Effects of Manitoba Pharmacare Formulary Policy on Utilization of Prescription Medications. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2009. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Martens P, Brownell M, Au W, MacWiliam L, Prior H, Schultz J, Guenette W, Elliott L, Buchan S, Anderson M, Caetano P, Metge C, Santos R, Serwonka K. Health Inequities in Manitoba: Is the Socioeconomic Gap in Health Widening or Narrowing Over Time? Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2010. [Report] [Summary] [Updates and Errata] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Martens P, Nickel N, Forget E, Lix L, Turner D, Prior H, Walld R, Soodeen RA, Rajotte L, Ekuma O. The Cost of Smoking: A Manitoba Study. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2015. [Report] [Summary] [Updates and Errata] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Martens P, Fransoo R, The Need to Know Team, Burland E, Prior H, Burchill C, Romphf L, Chateau D, Bailly A, Ouelette C. What Works? A First Look at Evaluating Manitoba's Regional Health Programs and Policies at the Population Level. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2008. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Metge C, Chateau D, Prior H, Soodeen R, De Coster C, Barre L. Composite Measures/Indices of Health and Health System Performance. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2009. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Smith M, Finlayson G, Martens P, Dunn J, Prior H, Taylor C, Soodeen RA, Burchill C, Guenette W, Hinds A. Social Housing in Manitoba. Part II: Social Housing and Health in Manitoba: A First Look. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2013. [Report] [Summary] (View)