What predicts a country’s proportion of adolescents with health career expectations? A cross-national study

Abstract

This study examined whether educational, employment, and sociocultural factors related to the global proportion of adolescents with health career expectations. On the basis of data from the Programme for International Student Assessment 2018 and other international datasets, results showed that approximately 10.0%, 1.7%, and 4.8% of 15-year-old students expected to become doctors, nurses/midwives, and professionals in other health cadres, respectively, with variations across countries. A culture of “helpfulness” showed the strongest association with adolescents’ health career expectations, followed by social equality in educational outcomes, the remuneration, and prestige of health workers. Moreover, these effects differed by gender and occupational classification.