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. 2023 Oct 12;35:100749. doi: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100749

Table 1.

Demographic data recorded for each student and their parents.

Variable Values Rationale for categorization Rationale for selecting variable
Student data
 Sex 0 = Male
1 = Femalea 		The known male:female ratio of BSM of 3:719
 Migration background Statistics Netherlands categorizes migration background based on someone’s country of birth, and/or that of their parents. If one parent was born in the Netherlands and the other abroad, the country other than the Netherlands is chosen. We recoded all country codes in 5 groups:
0 = Dutch (no migration background),
1 = Turkish/Moroccan
2 = Surinamese/Dutch Caribbean/Indonesian
3 = European (defined as EU/EEA/Switzerland)
4 = Other migration background
Due to small sizes of certain groups, we combined groups 1 & 2 (abbreviated as TMSDI); and groups 3 & 4 (called ‘Other’), in a number of regression analyses. The descriptive statistics are, wherever permitted within the regulations around group sizes, given in as much detail as possible to enable better interpretation.		 The differences in types of migration history of migrant populations. The known inequalities which students with a migration background face in e.g., the selection procedure for medical school19 and in clinical assessment and grading.15 Research shows unequal opportunities in moving up from physician to specialist,7 regardless of whether they hold a PhD or not.4
 Degree of urbanity of postal code, of address at age 16 Based on the average number of addresses per km2 of the area:
  • 1.

    Very strong (2500 or more)

  • 2.

    Strong (1500–2499);

  • 3.

    Average (1000–1499);

  • 4.

    Weak (500–999);

  • 5.

    Not at all (less than 500)

 Categorization by Statistics Netherlands The known shortage of healthcare providers in rural areas.
Parental data
 Income percentile of parent with highest income Scale of 0–100, categorized for regression analysis:
0 = Percentiles 1–70
1 = Percentiles 71–90
2 = Percentiles 91–100		 Best possible balance in each category The known barriers of low SES in the medical education field, and the disproportionate share of students from high-income families among HPE students.19 Income and assets percentiles, rather than their values in euros, were included because percentiles indicate the relative position one occupies compared to the rest of the population.
 Assets percentileb Scale of 0–100, categorized for regression analysis:
0 = Percentiles 1–40
1 = Percentiles 41–80
2 = Percentiles 81–100		 Best possible balance in each category
 Number of parents who are registered healthcare professionals 0, 1, 2, categorized for regression analysis:
0 = 0 parents
1 = 1 or 2 parents		 Best possible balance in each category The known influence of having a network in the medical field as a facilitator in the route from childhood to practising medicine.19,24
a

It is acknowledged that not every individual is ‘male’ or ‘female’, but Statistics Netherlands only has two possible sex categories. This means that e.g., intersex persons either have missing data on their sex registration, or are categorized as male or female.

b

The assets percentile concerns e.g., property, shares and savings on the household level. It is often lower than the income percentile due to the influence of (primarily mortgage) debts. When parents live in different households, they may each have a different assets percentile. In that case, we selected the highest percentile.