Assessing the Potential Influence of Asthma on Student Attendance/Absence in Public Elementary Schools

Abstract

Objectives: Student health, well-being, and productivity are determined in part by attending school daily. Increased annual average daily attendance (ADA) increases public funding for school district–based enrichment programs. Asthma is reported as the number 1 cause of American school absenteeism due to chronic illness; however, only limited, estimated national data exist. Accurate, precise ways to assess potential disparities in disease-driven absence do not yet exist. The authors summarize part of their community-based participatory research (CBPR), namely planning then testing a set of matching field sheet (data collection) and computer-based spreadsheets (database) based on previous school-based research to track attendance and reasons for absence. Methods: The CBPR process occurred mid-2005 to mid-2008, with final activities in DeKalb County, Georgia, August–December 2007 (fall semester) for this portion. The authors tracked absence, with an ability to examine data overall and at classroom, grade, and school levels by gender, race/ethnicity, and doctor-diagnosed asthma as reported to schools on student emergency cards. Results: The authors characterized their study sample, consisting of 914 4th–5th grade children (overall, 9.2% of children with asthma) from seven randomly selected, consenting participating schools (n = 21 classrooms per grade, 2 to 4 classrooms per grade per school). Six schools used paper versions of tools while one school used electronic versions. The authors presented attendance results in various aggregated manners. Absence was higher (ADA lower) among 4th grade asthmatic students compared to the entire classroom. Conclusions: This study can inform future interdisciplinary school-based research combining health and student academic productivity, adult work performance outcomes, and other measures.

Keywords :

• absence
• attendance
• child and adolescent health
• public health
• school health services
• truancy

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the funding sources for this study, the Georgia State University Research Foundation and the Partnership for Urban Health Research. We appreciated in-kind support provided by Institute of Public Health administrative and business staff.

The principal investigator is grateful for and acknowledges his ongoing collaborations with the asthma coalitions of Central California, in particular Merced/Mariposa County, Tulare County, and Fresno County for coordinating monthly meetings for the community-based participatory research planning phase of this study during March–October 2005.

We thank DeKalb County Board of Health and DeKalb County Schools for supporting this study, in particular the final planning stage, and for their assistance in enhancing our local knowledge of programs and policies.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we thank the lead nurses, other health professionals, and staff of the seven recruited, consenting elementary schools among those randomly selected. We were inspired by their willingness to participate in written and/or electronic formats; to allow us to make multiple visits during this study according to a mutually agreed upon schedule; and, most of all, their dedication to local school children.