Table 2

Characteristics of the study participants included in each stakeholder group

Parent or carer or treated as a childHealthcare professionalGeneral population
n=253n=114n=753
Age, mean (SD)45.3 (14.9)42.3 (9.9)50.1 (17.0)
Gender
Female192 (75.9%)66 (57.9%)412 (54.7%)
Male61 (24.1%)47 (41.23%)332 (44.1%)
Other0 (0.0%)0 (0.0%)4 (0.5%)
Prefer not to say0 (0%)1 (0.88%)5 (0.7%)
Region
England: North East33 (4.4%)
England: North West80 (10.6%)
England: Yorkshire and the Humber59 (7.8%)
England: East Midlands56 (7.4%)
England: West Midlands65 (8.6%)
England: East of England72 (9.6%)
England: London92 (12.2%)
England: South East114 (15.1%)
England: South West65 (8.6%)
Northern Ireland19 (2.5%)
Scotland57 (7.6%)
Wales41 (5.4%)
Ethnicity
Asian and Asian British56 (7.4%)
Black, black British, Caribbean or African16 (2.1%)
Mixed or multiple ethnic groups4 (0.5%)
Prefer not to answer9 (1.2%)
White (British, Irish, Gypsy or Irish Traveller, Roma)625 (83.0%)
White (other)43 (5.7%)
Higher education
Yes158 (62.5%)
No95 (37.5%)
Highest education
Postgraduate degree or above/NVQ level 7–8104 (13.8%)
Undergraduate degree/diploma/NVQ level 5–6230 (30.5%)
A levels or Scottish Highers/HNC or equivalent/NVQ level 3–4382 (50.7%)
None of the above29 (3.9%)
Prefer not to answer8 (1.1%)
Healthcare professional
Yes29 (3.9%)
No724 (96.1%)
Are you a parent or carer?
Yes398 (52.9%)
No355 (47.1%)
Occupational group main earner in household
Administrative and secretarial occupations27 (10.7%)112 (14.9%)
Caring, leisure and other service occupations14 (%)24 (3.2%)
Elementary occupations3 (1.1%)17 (2.3%)
Managers, directors and senior officials49 (19.4%)99 (13.1%)
Never employed0 (0.0%)5 (0.7%)
Pensioner26 (10.3%)145 (19.3%)
Process, plant and machine operatives3 (1.1%)13 (1.7%)
Professional/associate professional occupations70 (27.7%)135 (17.9%)
Sales and customer service occupations8 (3.2%)47 (6.2%)
Skilled trades occupations30 (11.9%)72 (9.6%)
Unemployed14 (5.5%)53 (7.0%)
Prefer not to answer9 (3.6%)31 (4.1%)
Marital status
Divorced5 (1.9%)69 (9.2%)
Married/partner126 (49.8%)426 (56.6%)
Separated3 (1.2%)8 (1.1%)
Single9 (3.6%)215 (28.6%)
Widowed4 (1.6%)29 (3.9%)
Missing106 (41.9%)0 (0.0%)
Prefer not to answer0 (0.0%)6 (0.8%)
Have you experienced serious illness?*†
Yes68 (26.9%)18 (15.8%)176 (23.4%)
No177 (70.0%)92 (80.7%)562 (74.6%)
Prefer not to answer8 (3.2%)4 (3.5%)15 (2.0%)
Have you experienced serious illness in your family?*†
Yes126 (49.8%)63 (55.3%)394 (52.3%)
No121 (47.8%)47 (41.2%)338 (44.9%)
Prefer not to answer6 (2.4%)4 (3.5%)21 (2.8%)
Have you experienced serious illness as a carer for a family member?*†
Yes64 (25.3%)27 (23.7%)130 (17.3%)
No185 (73.1%)83 (72.8%)602 (79.9%)
Prefer not to answer4 (1.6%)4 (3.5%)21 (2.8%)
What is your role/specialism?
Surgeon36 (31.6%)
Anaesthetist34 (29.8%)
Paediatrician7 (6.1%)
Neonatologist10 (8.8%)
Nurse12 (10.5%)
Advanced nurse practitioner/specialist nurse10 (8.8%)
Other1 (0.9%)
Missing4 (3.5%)
Highest current level of training (for surgeon, anaesthetist, paediatrician and neonatologist)
Consultant or equivalent66 (57.9%)
Registrar or equivalent19 (16.7%)
Foundation or core trainee2 (1.8%)
Missing27 (23.7%)
Age category of child†
My child has died4 (2.7%)
Less than 1 year old6 (4.1%)
1–5 years old46 (31.3%)
6–10 years old35 (23.8%)
11–18 years old35 (23.8%)
More than 18 years old21 (14.3%)
Proxy-report of your child’s quality of life†
Good quality of life113 (76.9%)
Fair quality of life28 (19.1%)
Poor quality of life1 (0.7%)
Prefer not to answer1 (0.7%)
Missing4 (2.7%)
  • Data are n (%) unless otherwise specified. Empty cells indicate question was not included in the demographics for that stakeholder.

  • *These questions included ‘in additional to having a child with a surgical condition’ in the survey administered to parents and carers, and people treated for surgical conditions as a child.

  • †Information only collected for parents or carers of a child (n=147).

  • HNC, Higher National Certificate; NVQ, National Vocational Qualification.