School absenteeism: a study of some risk factors

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to investigate some risk factors for prolonged and/or repeated school absence. A case-control study was carried out in the largest male secondary school in Alexandria city. A total of 100 absentees [absent from school for at least 8 days] were recruited by the end of the academic year 1993/1994. A control group of 300 randomly selected regular school attendants were matched for age and grade level. School absenteeism risk was shown to increase significantly with student's illness [OR=11.2 P<0.01], school failure [OR=3.3 P<0.01], non participation in athletic activities [OR=3.2, P<0.01], cigarette smoking [OR=1.9, P=<0.05], moderate to high family income [OR=1.9, P<0.05] and low level of mother's education [OR=7.0, P<0.01]. School absence risk did not appear to be related to the student's body mass index [BMI] or to father's education. Home was the favorite place to stay-in while absent from the school for 84% of the absent students. Besides student's illness, lack of transport to school, unsatisfactory school curriculum, school day and school personnel were contributing factors for such problem: