Table 2 Operationalisation, data sources and the expected effects of variables
Variable | Operationalisation | Expected effect |
|---|---|---|
Dependent | ||
 Limited FAH (unmet medical needs due to financial reasons) | Unmet need for medical examination/treatment (ph040) for reasons of (ph050): costs (1), transportation costs (4) or waiting lists (2) (0: no income-related need; 1: income-related need) |  |
Independent | ||
 Bad health | Subjective health (0: (very) good; 1: average/(very) bad (ph010) | + |
 Chronic illness | Suffer from any chronic (long-standing) illness or condition (ph020) | + |
 Sex | 1: male (ref. group); 2: female (rb090) | + |
 Household composition | 1: ‘Adults, no children’ | (ref.) |
2: ‘Adults with children’ | + | |
3: ‘Single parent household’ (hx060) | + | |
 Migrant status | Non-/EU migrant by country of birth (pb210) or citizenship (pb220) | + |
 Education | 1: ‘Primary education’ ISCED 0–2 (pe040) | + |
2: ‘Secondary education’ ISCED 2–4 | + | |
3: Tertiary education’ ISCED 4–6 | (ref.) | |
 Urbanisation | 1: densely populated, | (ref.) |
2: intermediate area, | + | |
3: thinly populated area (db100) | + | |
 Access to public transport | From 1 (With great difficulty) to 4 (very easily) (hc120) | + |
 Access to primary healthcare services | From 1 (With great difficulty) to 4 (very easily) (hc130) | + |
 Basic activity status | 0: at work (ref. group), 1: unemployed (rb210) | + |
 Debt problems | Household will be forced to leave the dwelling (hc150) | + |
 Income (pre-tax/benefit) | Gross equivalised disposable income in PPP (log) (hx090) | − |
Macro-level | ||
 Housing allowance | Gross equivalised housing allowance, including rent benefit, benefit to owner-occupiers (hy070g) | − |
 Social assistance | Allowance for social exclusion not elsewhere classified, including income support and cash benefit for vulnerable groups (hy060g) | − |
 Family allowance | Gross equivalised family allowance, including birth grant, parental leave benefit, family or child allowance, gov. alimonies (hy050g) | − |
 Unemployment benefits | Gross individual unemployment benefits, including full/partial unemployment, early retirement and severance benefit (py090g) | − |
 Physician density | Density of practising and professionally active physicians per 1000 population (head counts) (source: OECD) | − |
 Out-of-pocket payments | Out-of pocket expenditure/Total health expenditure (source: WHO) | + |