Effect of Sociodemographics, Health‐Related Problems, and Family Structure on Chronic Absenteeism Among Children (original) (raw)

2019, Journal of School Health

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDFrom 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.METHODSThe 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.RESULTSAmong 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...