title: Influence of parental education on Honduran medical students' labour perspectives: rural work and emigration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We sought to evaluate the intentions of Honduran medical students to emigrate or to work in a rural setting, and their association with parental education.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a cross-sectional, analytic study at a Honduran medical school. Student participants completed a structured questionnaire, which assessed their intentions to emigrate or work in a rural setting after finishing medical school and the highest level of education achieved by their parents. We calculated crude and adjusted prevalence ratios with their respective 95% confidence intervals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 868 surveys distributed, 564 were completed. The mean age of the participants was 21 (standard deviation 3) years, and 62.2% were female. Of the respondents, 16.6% intended to emigrate to work and 11.2% intended to work in a rural setting. Higher paternal education (i.e., technical, university and postgraduate training) was associated with a higher rate of intention to emigrate. Students whose fathers underwent postgraduate education were less likely to intend to work in a rural setting. For maternal education, only the postgraduate level was associated with the outcomes in some of the tested models.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The frequency of students intending to emigrate was relatively low. However, the frequency of students being willing to work in rural settings was also low. Students whose parents had higher levels of education were more likely to intend to work abroad and less likely to intend to work in a rural area. These factors should be considered in medical schools' selection processes to improve retention and ensure adequate distribution of physicians.
authors.affiliation: Department of Morphological Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
authors.forename: Lysien I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Zambrano
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: Reneé
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pereyra-Elías
authors.affiliation: Department of Morphological Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
authors.forename: Selvin Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Reyes-García
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital Escuela Universitario, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
authors.forename: Itzel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fuentes
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: Percy
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mayta-Tristán
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006721:Honduras; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D011365:Professional Practice Location; D019035:Rural Health Services; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult