Table 1.

List of variables

Variable	Source	Description	Variable type	Needs (N)/Preferences (P)
Region	ZK	Identifies the 2-digit postal code where the patient is registered	Categorical (90 categories)
Age	ZK	Age of the client in 2017	Categorical (4 categories)	N
Sex	ZK		Categorical (2 categories)	P
Obesity	ZK	“True” if the client received medical help for obesity between 2015 and 2017	Categorical (2 categories)	N
Childbirth	ZK	“True” if the client had a birth in the last between 2015 and 2017	Categorical (2 categories)	P
Average SES category per postal code	CBS	Data available per postal code, used as a proxy for the client’s economic status	Categorical (3 categories- Low/Medium/High)	P
Average income category per postal code	CBS	Data available per postal code, used as a proxy for the client’s economic status	Categorical (3 categories- Low/Medium/High)	P
Urbanization level per postal code	CBS	Urban density per postal code	Categorical (4 categories)	P
Initial visit with specialist for varicose veins	ZK	Dependent variable: “true” if the client had any claim for varicose veins in 2017	Categorical (2 categories)
Treatment of varicose veins	ZK	Dependent variable: “true” if the client had a claim for treatment of varicose veins in 2017	Categorical (2 categories)

Footnote: N stands for patient medical needs, P stands for patient preferences