Table 1.
Participant characteristics of the sample of the Belgian general population (N = 9651) and proportions having spoken about wishes regarding medical treatments at the end of life with their physician and having an AD on euthanasia
| Unweighted sample (Weighted %) | Has spoken about wishes regarding medical treatment at the EOL to their physician | Has an AD on euthanasia | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) | % | % | ||
| Total respondents | 4.4 | 1.8 | ||
| Socio-demographic factors | ||||
| Gender | Man | 4244 (47.9) | 3.3* | 1.7 |
| Woman | 5080 (52.1) | 5.4* | 1.8 | |
| Age | 18-34 | 2222 (26.2) | 0.7* | 0.5* |
| 35-54 | 2906 (37.5) | 3.5* | 0.9* | |
| 55-74 | 2216 (25.6) | 6.8* | 3.3* | |
| 75+ | 1980 (10.7) | 12.0* | 4.6* | |
| Highest educational level within the household | ≤ Primary education | 1437 (12.2) | 6.7* | 2.7 |
| Lower secondary | 1511 (15.9) | 5.9* | 1.8 | |
| Higher secondary | 2770 (33.2) | 4.8* | 2.0 | |
| Higher education | 3302 (38.7) | 2.9* | 1.4 | |
| Marital status | Single (never married) | 2399 (26.4) | 2.0* | 1.1* |
| Married or registered civil relationship | 4672 (56.6) | 3.9* | 1.7* | |
| Widow/er (not remarried) | 1428 (8.2) | 13.0* | 4.5* | |
| Divorced (not remarried) | 804 (8.7) | 7.3* | 1.7* | |
| Region of residence | Flemish region | 3304 (58.3) | 3.8* | 2.0* |
| Brussels’ region | 2750 (10.6) | 4.8* | 2.5* | |
| Walloon region | 3270 (31.1) | 5.5* | 1.1* | |
| Health status | ||||
| Longstanding illness, chronic condition or disability | Yes | 3437 (32.7) | 7.8* | 2.6* |
| No | 5857 (67.3) | 2.7* | 1.4* | |
| Health service use | ||||
| Number of GP contacts | Never | 4502 (53.2) | 2.1* | 1.1* |
| 1×/2 months | 2447 (26.9) | 5.2* | 2.0* | |
| 1×/month | 1412 (12.5) | 8.5* | 3.2* | |
| ≥1×/month | 811 (7.4) | 11.8* | 3.0* | |
| Number of specialist contacts | Never | 6930 (77.5) | 3.6* | 1.6 |
| 1×/2 months | 1384 (14.4) | 6.3* | 1.8 | |
| 1×/month | 496 (5.1) | 7.3* | 3.9 | |
| ≥1×/month | 302 (3.0) | 10.6* | 2.4 | |
| Involvement in ACP | ||||
| Has spoken about wishes regarding medical treatments at the EOL to their physician | 412 (4.4) | - | 22.2* | |
| Has an AD on euthanasia | 167 (1.8) | 55.4* | - | |
Abbreviations: GP general practitioner, EOL end of life
Sums may not always amount to the total sample number because of missing values on variables. Percentages may not always add up to 100 because of rounding. Percentages are row percentages
Missing values: for gender n = 0, age n = 0, for highest educational level in the household n = 304 (3.3 %); for marital status n = 21 (0.2 %); for region of residence n = 0; for having a longstanding illness, chronic condition or handicap n = 30 (0.3 %); number of GP contacts n = 152 (1.6 %); number of SP contacts n = 212 (2.3 %); for having spoken about wishes regarding medical treatments at the EOL to their physician n = 2109 (22.6 %); for having an AD on euthanasia n = 2128 (22.8 %)
* Significant at p <0.05 using Pearsons Chi2 test