<p>The Provincial Health Officer’s Annual Report 2001 provides an update on British Columbia’s progress toward the goal of improved health for Aboriginal people. The report was developed over a two-year period, with input and assistance from the Provincial Aboriginal Health Services Strategy Steering Committee, other Aboriginal groups and organizations, and others involved in the Aboriginal health field.</p><p>The statistics in this report have been drawn from a variety of published and unpublished sources. Sixty indicators are used to describe health status, community environments, healthy growth and development, the physical environment, health services, and disease and injury prevention. Where possible, both provincial and regional data are presented, along with information to support development of specific objectives and targets for improvement. Definitions, data sources, and an explanation of each of the indicators may be found in Appendix C. Appendix E contains regional data, available for 32 of the 60 indicators, in tables and figures. Throughout the report, there are examples of programs and strategies that are innovative and effective in improving the health of Aboriginal people, in British Columbia or elsewhere in the world.</p><p>Aboriginal people are the descendants of the original inhabitants of North America. There are different concepts of “Aboriginality” based on ancestry, identity with Aboriginal groups, and legal status. Many of the available statistics pertain to specific Aboriginal groups, particularly Status (Registered) Indians. When referring to statistics or legislation, this report uses the terminology appropriate to each set of data, e.g., Status Indian, First Nations on reserve, or Aboriginal, so that readers will know which population group is covered. The term “Aboriginal” is used when data are inclusive of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people or when available data are used to make inferences about Aboriginal peoples as a whole. (Author)</p>