Name: Gurmehar Sachdeva; Student Number: 20824373
Recreation 371 Quantitative Data Analysis and Mobilization
Assignment 1: Data Set Description, Article Review, and Descriptive Statistics
1) Description of the Data Set:
The National Population Health Survey (NPHS) was first conducted in 1994, and now collects data
every two years. The survey is conducted by Statistics Canada. The total sample size in 1994
included 19,600 households with a minimum of 1,200 households from each province. The sample
size did not include populations on Indian Reserves, Canadian Forces Bases, and some remote areas
in Quebec and Ontario. Questionnaires were completed by all household members and one person,
aged 12 and over, in each household was randomly chosen for a more in-depth interview.
The main purpose of the study was to collect information related to the health of the Canadian
population. Some of the main aims of the study were as follows:
 “aid in the development of public policy by providing measures of the level, trend and
distribution of the health status of the population;
 provide data for analytic studies that will aid in understanding the determinants of health;
 provide information on a panel of people who will be followed over time to reflect the
dynamic process of health and illness;
 provide the provinces and territories and others with a health survey capacity that will
permit supplementation of content or sample;
 allow the possibility of linking survey data to administrative data such as vital statistics,
environmental measures, community variables, and health services utilization.”
Some of the main concepts measured in the study included health status, use of health services,
risk factors, and demographic and socio-economic status. These concepts were measured using the
following variables: sex, age, marital status, household income, dog or cat, health description index,
body mass index (BMI), general physical activity index, volunteering frequency, chronic stress level,
mastery scale, and social involvement scale.
2) Article Review:
Craig, C. L., Russell, S. J., Cameron, C., & Bauman, A. (2004). Twenty-year trends in physical activity
among Canadian adults. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 95(1), 59-63.
The purpose of the paper is to gather insights on the changes in the physical activity levels of
Canadian adults (18 years and older) from 1981 to 2000 to inform the formulation of public health
policy. The study investigates the following research questions:
 Did the physical activity levels of Canadian adults change among population segments,
including the ones categorized as most sedentary, between 1981 and 2000?
 How do recent trends in the physical activity levels of adults (in the early 2000s) differ from
earlier trends for different segments of the Canadian population?
The study involves the investigation of data collection through six national surveys conducted
between 1981 and 2000 by the Canadian Fitness Survey. These surveys involved the use of
adaptations of the Minnesota Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire (MLTPAQ) and employed
a similar scoring method. Sample sizes of the surveys varied between 2,500 to 18,000 Canadian
adults. Some of the variables used in the study were gender, age, education level, income, and MET
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Name: Gurmehar Sachdeva; Student Number: 20824373
hours per week. The study found that overall physical activity levels of Canadian adults increased in
the 1980s and 1990s regardless of gender, age, income, and education differences. However,
between 1995 and 2000, differential trends emerged among certain subsets of the (sample)
population. For example- the proportion of physically active men increased while that of women
stayed stagnant during that period. In the 20 years (1981-2000), educational differences in physical
activity levels decreased while age differences expanded, and variations in income developed. The
authors conclude that the physical activity levels of Canadian adults have improved substantially in
the past two decades, with the younger age and higher income groups reaping the most benefits.
However, physical inactivity continues to be a major public health issue. There are significant
disparities in physical activity levels among different demographic groups, particularly women,
older adults, and lower-income groups. The authors recommend environmental approaches and
policy interventions to address the inequities and promote opportunities for increased physical
activity among all Canadians.
Kay, T., & Jackson, G. (1991). Leisure despite constraint: The impact of leisure constraints on leisure
participation. Journal of Leisure Research, 23(4), 301-313.
The purpose of the paper is to expand on the findings of the study conducted by Shaw et al. to
explain the relationship between leisure time and reported levels of constraints. The research paper
achieves this by analyzing the relationship between social characteristics, reported constraints, and
the reported effects of the main constraints on leisure participation. The study focuses on the
following research questions:
 Do the reported leisure constraints actually decrease the leisure participation of individuals
who reported them?
 Leisure participation in which type of activities are affected by different constraints?
 How is the same reported leisure constraint experienced by individuals belonging to
different social groups?
The study employed an interviewer-administered questionnaire survey to collect data in specific
locations within the city of Stroke-on-Trent. These specific interview locations reflected
characteristics of diverse neighborhoods, social groups, and housing types. 366 surveys were
completed by interviewing one adult (16 years and older) in each household that was successfully
contacted. The sample size of 366 respondents included a majority of females (59%) and exhibited
an over-representation of adults in the 25-34 age group and a lower representation of adults aged
45-64 in comparison to the city’s population. Some of the variables used in the study were types of
constraints, social area analysis categorization, type of leisure activity, age, and gender. The study
found that high levels of leisure constraints were encountered by most individuals regardless of
their socio-economic status. Interestingly, respondents from diverse lifestyles reported a shortage
of time and financial resources as the two main leisure constraints. However, these constraints did
not significantly affect leisure participation as most respondents across the board invested
considerable effort in overcoming these constraints. The authors summarize the paper by
encouraging leisure service providers to consider the finding that different leisure constraints vary
in their influence over participation in different leisure activities. In other words, a leisure constraint
is more likely to inhibit participation in certain activities than others. Therefore, providers must
analyze their offerings and target segment, and identify the leisure constraints that are most
relevant before developing policies to reduce the impact of leisure constraints and boost
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Name: Gurmehar Sachdeva; Student Number: 20824373
participation. Another consideration for leisure providers is that reported leisure constraints don’t
necessarily reduce or prevent participation. Participants tend to overcome these constraints to
ensure participation.
Cairney, J., Boyle, M., Offord, D. R., & Racine, Y. (2003). Stress, social support and depression in
single and married mothers. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 38, 442-449.
The purpose of the research paper is to study how stress and social support influence the
relationship between single-parent status and depression. The research paper focuses on the
following four research questions: “(1) How much of the relationship between family structure
(single- vs. two-parent mothers) and depression can be accounted for by exposure to stressful life
events, chronic strains, and early childhood adversities? (2) How much of the relationship between
family structure and depression can be accounted for by differences in social support? (3) Are single
mothers more vulnerable to stress than married mothers? (i. e. is the effect of stress on
psychological well-being conditional on family structure?) (4) Are there differences in the effect of
social support on depression between married and single mothers? (i. e. is the effect of social
support on psychological well-being conditional on family structure?)” The paper obtains a sample
from the 1994-95 National Population Health Survey conducted by Statistics Canada. The sample, a
subset of the survey data, included a total of 2,956 female parents aged 15-54 years who had
supplied complete data. This sample size comprised 725 single mothers and 2,231 married mothers.
The study employs the standardized weighting scheme recommended by Statistics Canada to
conduct analysis. Some of the variables used in the paper are major depressive episode, marital
status of mothers, chronic stress index, recent life events, childhood adversities, perceived social
support, social involvement, age, household income, etc. The research paper found that single
mothers were more prone to experiencing an episode of depression and indicated higher levels of
chronic stress, recent life events, and increased number of childhood difficulties. Additionally, single
mothers are much more likely to experience social exclusion compared to married mothers.
Increased stress and lack of social support, together, account for 40 percent of the relationship
between single-parent status and depression. However, the study also discovered that depression
was more strongly correlated with life events among married mothers than single mothers. The
authors conclude by confirming that the findings of the study align with previous research in
reinforcing that stress and social support are mediating variables that explain the relationship
between marital status and depression. The authors also acknowledge the limitations of their study
and call for a longitudinal study to further expand the understanding of the (possibly causal)
relationship between single-parent status and depression and to confirm if the variations in stress
and social support over time affect the psychological well-being of the subjects.
3) Descriptive Statistics
Table 1. Frequencies for the Gender of the respondent
Categories
n
Male
Female
8058
9568
Total
17626
%
45.7
54.3
100
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Name: Gurmehar Sachdeva; Student Number: 20824373
Table 2. Means and Standard Deviations for Health Description Index and Age
Variables
Health Description
Index
n
Mean
SD
17626
2.69
1.022
Age
17626
3.67
1.614
4