Examining the effects of household food insecurity on school absenteeism among Junior High School students: findings from the 2012 Ghana global school-based student health survey

ABSTRACT

This study examined the effects of household food insecurity on school absenteeism among Junior High School students in Ghana. Data for this study were drawn from the 2012 Ghana Global School-based Health Survey. A sample of 1,121 students aged 11–18 years were analyzed using binary logistic regression with school absenteeism as the outcome variable. Of the 1,121 students examined, more than half (58.1%) were from food insecure households and 39.8% missed school without permission during the past 30 days. Adjustng for multiple predictors, students from food insecure households had 1.56 times higher odds of missing school without permission relative to those from food secure households. Other predictors of school absenteeism include being a victim of bullying, being involved in fighting in school, feeling lonely, history of suicidal ideation, alcohol use, and illicit substance use. Parental support had a protective effect on school absenteeism such that, for each additional increase in parental support score, the odds of school absenteeism were predicted to decrease by 4%. Addressing both distal and structural drivers of food insecurity is critical in reducing school absenteeism and improving student enrollment and school attendance.

KEYWORDS:

• Household food insecurity
• school absenteeism
• student enrolment
• junior high school
• Ghana

Acknowledgments

This paper is based on public data from the World Health Organization (WHO). The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not represent the views of WHO. Drs. Baiden and Boateng had full access to all of the data and assume responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Philip Baiden

Philip Baiden, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the School of Social Work, the University of Texas at Arlington. His research broadly focuses on understanding suicidal and self-injurious behaviors in adolescents and young adults, suicide prevention program development and evaluation, adverse childhood experiences, adolescent health risk behaviors, and social determinants of health.

Godfred O. Boateng

Godfred O. Boateng,MPhil., Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His current research focuses on the intersection of food, water, and energy insecurity, with a special interest in understanding the proximal, distal, and contextual factors that shape resource scarcity and influence health disparities among vulnerable populations.

Mavis Dako-Gyeke

Mavis Dako-Gyeke,M.S.W., Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Social Work, University of Ghana at Legon, Accra, Ghana. Currently, her research focuses on child and family welfare, mental health with emphasis on stigmatization and discrimination, migration and gender issues.

Charles K. Acolatse

Charles K. Acolatse, M.S.W., Esq., is a practicing attorney and a doctoral student at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health. He works on improving issues related to healthcare law and policy. His primary focus is on healthcare organizations on a range of issues including, but not limited to, health insurance and finance, affordability and accessibility to healthcare with a primary focus on underserved communities.

Kersley E. Peters

Kersley E. Peters, Ph.D., is a Resource Educator with the Toronto District School Board and works on issues related to marginalized youth within a social justice and equity framework. He has also worked extensively with ethnically and racially diverse communities locally and internationally to address issues of race, oppression and anti-racist education.