Citation

Lim E, Davis J, Choi SY, Chen JJ. J. Sch. Health 2019; 89(4): 308-318.

Affiliation

John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 651 Ilalo Street, Medical Education Building, Suite 411, Honolulu, HI 96813.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American School Health Association, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/josh.12736

PMID

30843228

Abstract

BACKGROUND: From 5 to 7.5 million schoolchildren are chronically absent, defined as missing ≥15 days of school within a year. Students miss schools due to various reasons such as health, socioeconomic status, and environmental factors. We examined child's health and behavior, family structure, and sociodemographics to understand chronic absenteeism.

METHODS: The population included children ages 6 to 17 years from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey years 2008-2013. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify the risk factors of chronic absenteeism, adjusting for the complex sampling design.

RESULTS: Among sociodemographic variables, age ≥14 years, race/ethnicity, lower-income family, public health insurance, US born, and speaking English at home were associated with absenteeism. Asians, Mexican Hispanics, and blacks have lower absenteeism than whites. Among health-related variables, children using an inhaler for asthma, having behavioral problems, and less healthy than other children were more likely to be chronically absent. Among family variables, a smaller family size was a risk factor for absenteeism.

CONCLUSIONS: Asthma and behavioral problems were highly associated with chronic absenteeism. The identification of children at risk for chronic absenteeism will help the educational professionals identify the barriers to academic achievements and develop integrated educational interventions and policies to support disadvantaged children.

© 2019, American School Health Association.

Language: en

Keywords

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey; asthma; child behavior; chronic absenteeism; disadvantaged children; race/ethnicity