Abstract

        How do Canada's metropolitan areas and regions compare in regard to indicators of the well-being and health of the body, mind and spirit?

        This study answers this question by means of detailed profiles of these indicators for Canada's 25 Census Metropolitan Areas, and five major regions: Atlantic provinces, Quebec, Ontario, Prairie provinces, and British Columbia. Charts of some of the indicators are displayed in Chapter 1.

        The results of preliminary analyses of important behaviours in each province and eight metro areas are also displayed (Chapter 2): spiritual intensity, smokers, number of times intoxicated, the dollars gambled, the consideration of suicide, illicit drug use past year, and the age one began drinking alcohol.

        In the analyses, our general expectations were as follows, given the effect of all other factors are held constant, and the general findings follow.

        First, the behaviour problems decrease (are negatively associated) with age, while spiritual commitment increases with age. The results tend to support this assumption, and do not reject the hypothesis except in the case of dollars gambled, which increases with age in many instances owing perhaps to increased income.

        Second, women are more spiritual than men and less prone to behavioural problems. The results tend to support this assumption, except in the case of the likelihood of the consideration of suicide, found to be greater for women than men in many instances.

        Third, it is expected that spiritual commitment is higher, the more the education, while behavioural problems are less, the more the education. The results tend to support this assumption, except for more highly educated women who began drinking sooner than less educated women.

        Fourth, spiritual commitment is expected to be lower, the higher the use of marijuana in one's past, while behavioural problems are greater, the higher the use. This expectation is realized in more of the results than any other, and there are no exceptions.

        Fifth, the conservative Christians and non-Christians are expected to have a greater spiritual commitment than liberal Protestants (the reference population), and weaker associations with behavioural problems. The results tend to confirm this hypothesis except that in three analyses conservative Christians are more prone to have considered suicide than liberal Protestants, and non-Christians in some areas were found to be more likely to smoke than liberal Protestants.

        And finally, hours of sleep are expected to be higher, the more the spiritual commitment and the weaker the behavioural problems. The results provide weak support for this expectation in the case of most behaviors.