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Calcium Dashboard – Details by Country

Canada


Country Typology: Low disease risk, high intervention/policy environment

Health Data

Preterm Births:

  • Lancet Estimates: Preterm Birth Rate per 100 Live Births: 7.9 [7.5-8.4] 1
  • GBD Estimates: DALYS per 100,000 [CI]: 216 [178, 255] 2

Maternal Hypertensive Disorders - Preclampsia & Eclampsia Incidence: 3

  • % of Preeclampsia Cases: 2%
  • % of Eclampsia Cases: NR
  • % of Combined Preeclampsia and Eclampsia: NR

Maternal Hypertensive Disorders - DALYS & Deaths: 4

  • DALYs per 100,000: 1.27 [0.99, 1.68]
  • Deaths per 100,000: 0.02 [0.01, 0.02]

Bone Fractures Incidence Rate per 100,000 [CI]: 3620.3 [3327.5, 3960.1] 5

Diet and Food Supply

Calcium Intake: 1294mg/day (505.2) 6

Apparent Calcium Intake: 973.4 mg/day 7

Policies

Calcium Fortification: 8
• Mandatory fortification of Wheat flour (1400mg/kg)

Antenatal Care Guidelines: 9

  • Supplementation Recommendation:
    Target: Women at risk of low calcium intake
  • Food-Based Recommendation:
    • Dairy: Milk, cheese, yogurt
    • Fortified plant-based beverages (e.g., soy, almond)
    • Canned fish with bones (e.g., salmon, sardines)
    • Dark leafy greens (e.g., kale, bok choy)
    • Calcium-fortified juices and cereals
    • Tofu with calcium salts

References:

1 Preterm Births - Lancet Estimates
Ohuma EO, Moller A-B, Bradley E, et al. National, regional, and global. estimates of preterm birth in 2020, with trends from 2010: a systematic analysis. Lancet 2023; 402: 1261–71.

2 Preterm Births - GBD Estimates
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). GBD Compare Data Visualization. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021. Seattle, WA: IHME, University of Washington, 2023. Available from http://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare. (Accessed 7/23/2025). For terms and conditions of use, please visit http://www.healthdata.org/about/terms-and-conditions

3 Maternal Hypertensive Disorders - Preclampsia & Eclampsia Incidence
Lihme, F., Savu, A., Basit, S., et al. (2024). Time trends in preeclampsia and gestational diabetes in Denmark and Alberta, Canada, 2005–2018—A population‐based cohort study. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 103(2), 266-275.

4 Maternal Hypertensive Disorders - DALYS & Deaths
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). GBD Compare Data Visualization. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021. Seattle, WA: IHME, University of Washington, 2023. Available from http://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare. (Accessed 9/16/2024).

5 Bone Fractures
Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network. Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 (GBD 2021). Seattle, United States: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), 2022. Available from https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/. (Accessed 7/18/2025).

6 Calcium Intake
Perreault M, Mottola MF, Atkinson SA; BHIP study team. Individualized high dairy protein + walking program supports bone health in pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2022 Oct 6;116(4):887-896.

7 Apparent Calcium Intake
Updated for 2022 based on: Lividini, K., Masters, W.A. Tracing global flows of bioactive compounds from farm to fork in nutrient balance sheets can help guide intervention towards healthier food supplies. Nat Food 3, 703–715 (2022).

8 Calcium Fortification
Government of Canada. Food and Drug Regulations (C.R.C., c. 870). Division 13: Grain and Bakery Products B.13.010.1 (2). Canada. 14/April/2021. [https://bit.ly/3drB6Wr] From: Global Fortification Data Exchange. Accessed 11 October 2024. [http://www.fortificationdata.org.]

9 Antenatal Care Guidelines
Public Health Agency of Canada. Family-Centred Maternity and Newborn Care: National Guidelines. December, 2017. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/maternity-newborn-care-guidelines/preface.html