School Absence Among Children with Chronic Illness

Abstract

This paper reports school attendance for 336 chronically ill, Medicaid-eligible children living in rural areas of northern Florida. Demographic data were obtained by a questionnaire administered in a home interview. Attendance data were collected directly from the schools. The mean number of days absent the previous year was 16.9; the mean percentage of days absent was 9.4%. Regression analysis indicated that lower education level of parents and the child's inability to participate in physical activities were significant in predicting days missed from school. No individual diagnostic category was predictive of school absence. Thus, the chronicity of an illness and its impact on the child may be a more significant influence on school attendance than the actual diagnosis of the illness.