Constructing a composite adolescent health and wellness index for British Columbia, Canada using a spatial multi-criteria analysis approach

This article describes the methods used to produce a composite index of adolescent health and wellness for the province of British Columbia. The unit of analysis was health service deliveries areas (HSDAs) for which adolescent-centred indicators, that reflect both positive and negative measures of adolescent health, were readily available. Using a Delphi technique, a set of 24 indicators of adolescent health and wellness were identified. The indicators were then combined using spatial multi-criteria analysis (MCA), specifically, the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS). The composite index allowed for geographical variation of adolescent health and wellness across the Province to be explored using mapping software and statistical analysis. The index revealed an urban/rural gradient in adolescent health and wellness. Additionally, a negative relationship was found between the composite index and the percent of aboriginal population and a positive relationship was found with the percent of recent immigrants. This paper concludes by discussing the challenges, strengths and weaknesses of this composite index.