Other Highlighted Environments
The Population
The Population of Leeds, Grenville and Lanark
The characteristics of a population have a substantial impact on the social, economic and health status of a community. For example, a population's age and sex composition can affect various aspects of health, including the general fertility rate, use of health care services, mortality rates, prevalence of activity limitation and chronic conditions to name a few. Measuring the population age structure of a community is one way of capturing the effect that human biology has as a determinant of health, as there are unique threats to people's health depending on their stage in the life cycle. To illustrate, infants are more susceptible to sudden infant death syndrome, while older adults are more likely to fall victim to heart disease. Knowing which age groups are increasing in size provides insight into the future health and health care needs of the population.
Population Growth
In 1996 there were 156,128 people living in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark (LGL); 76,485 males and 79,645 females (see figure 1). This represents an overall population increase of approximately 8.0% from 1991. By the year 2021 it's expected that the population in the region will increase a further 28% with approximately 220,000 people living in the region (see figure 2). The population growth rates in LGL between 1986 & 1991 and 1991 & 1996 were higher than in all Ontario (see figure 3). In both cases the higher population growth rates are a product of high rates of growth in Lanark County. In LGL, between 1991 & 1996, the population growth rate was highest in North Grenville (24.2%), and lowest in Lanark Village (-2.8%) & Smiths Falls (-3.3%) (see map 1). The growth rate is useful because it allows crude estimates to be made of future changes in a population based on past trends. This facilitates the planning of programs and services related to growth in the total population or certain subgroups.
Population Age Structure
The age structure of LGL in 1996 was very similar to that in Ontario and the rest of Canada (see figure 4). Interestingly, there are two bulges in the population pyramid. The first and the largest bulge represents a group between the age of 30 and 50 years of age. This group is commonly referred to as the "Baby Boomers". The Baby Boomers represent a generation of children born after the second world war, during a period of very high fertility. The second bulge in the population pyramid is centered around individuals in late childhood to teenage years, 5 to 19 years of age. This group is often referred to as the Baby Boom Echo. These are the children of the Baby Boomers. The health of the population is, and will be significantly influenced by the health of these large groups of people.
In 1996, 35.1% of residents in LGL were 20-44 years old, a slight reduction from 1991, when 36.9% of residents were 20-44. In general, the population of LGL and Ontario are aging. In 1996, both LGL and Ontario had proportionally more residents 45-64 and 65+ years old compared to 1991 (see figure 5). Older adults (65 and older) accounted for 15% of the population in 1996. This was greater than in Ontario, where only 12% of the population was 65 and older. Though the number of people residing in LGL in their senior years is not as great as those in younger age groups, the former use a much greater proportion of health care resources.
Population Density
LGL is more densely populated than Ontario as a whole. Within the region, Leeds & Grenville United counties is more densely populated than Lanark County (see figure 6). The population density increased in Leeds & Grenville United Counties (1.8 persons / km2) and in Lanark County (1.6 persons/ km2) from 1991 to 1996. The most densely populated municipalities in the region are, Prescott, Brockville, Kemptville, Smiths Falls and Carleton Place. The least densely populated regions are Lanark Highlands and Bathurst, South Sherbrooke & North Burgess (see map 2).
LGL is largely a rural region (see map 3). More than 60% of all residents live in rural, rather than urban areas. Lanark County has a greater proportion of its population living in rural areas than in the United Counties of Leeds, and Grenville (see figure 7). Within LGL the age structure is different in rural compared to urban regions (see figure 8). There are relatively more children and adolescents living in rural areas, while older adults tend to live in urban areas. In some cities and towns, such as Perth, Smiths Falls, Prescott, Westport, more than 20% of the population was 65 and older (see map 4).
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