Absence, Extended Absence, and Repeat Tardiness Related to Asthma Status among Elementary School Children

Abstract

Background. The purpose of this analysis was to examine potential associations between absence, extended (repeated) absence, tardiness, and repeated tardiness from school and doctor-diagnosed asthma. Methods. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data collected in fall 2007 on 914 4th and 5th grade school children from seven randomly selected participating schools in DeKalb County, GA. ANOVA was used to compare attendance metrics for race, gender, and asthma status groups. Nonparametric Kruskal–Wallis statistical tests were also done because distributions of attendance metrics were skewed. We tallied daily absence data during the study period and examined absence by day of week. We also compared the variation of the weekly rate of absence and tardiness for students with asthma versus students without asthma over the study period. Results. The mean days of absence in 86 students with asthma was 2.73 days compared with 1.89 days for 828 children without asthma (p = .004). There was no significant difference in mean days of tardiness by asthma status. The difference in the number of instances of 2+ consecutive days of absence (extended absence) by asthma status was not significant. Students with asthma were more likely to be absent on Mondays (p = .005), Tuesdays (p = .001), and Fridays (p = .02) than students without asthma. The weekly rate of tardiness for students with asthma trended with the general student study population over the study period, whereas the weekly rate of absence did not. Conclusions. Asthma was associated with increased 1-day absences but not longer absences or tardiness.

• child and adolescent health
• community health
• policy
• absenteeism
• tardiness

Acknowledgments

We thank the lead nurses, other health professionals, and staff of the seven recruited, consenting elementary schools among those randomly selected in the original study. 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. Please note funding sources for the original study were the Georgia State University Research Foundation and Partnership for Urban Health Research, plus in-kind support provided by Institute of Public Health administrative and business staff. [Secondary analyses in this article were completed as part of a field work/internship project (S.S. Mizan) in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the MPH degree at the UMDNJ-School of Public Health.]

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.