To provide a better understanding of local differences, the NBHC presents information at either the health zone level or the community level. The boundaries of the seven health zones were established by provincial legislation, while the 33 communities were created by the NBHC (by further dividing up the seven established health zones).
The community boundaries were determined using the catchment areas of health care centres, community health centres and hospitals. No community has fewer than 5,000 people to ensure data availability, stability and anonymity.