The development of national indicators for the surveillance of osteoporosis in Canada

The Public Health Agency of Canada, in collaboration with bone health and osteoporosis experts from across Canada (n = 12), selected a core set of indicators for the public health surveillance of osteoporosis using a formal consensus process.

A literature review identified candidate indicators that were subsequently categorized into an osteoporosis-specific indicator framework. A survey was then administered to obtain expert opinion on the indicators' public health importance. Indicators that scored less than 3 on a Likert scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high) were excluded from further consideration. Subsequently, a majority vote on the remaining indicators' level of public health importance was sought during a face-to-face meeting.

The literature yielded 111 indicators, and 88 were selected for further consideration via the survey. At the face-to-face meeting, more than half the experts considered 39 indicators to be important from the public health perspective.

This core set of indicators will serve to inform the development of new data sources and the integration, analysis and interpretation of existing data into surveillance products for the purpose of public health action.