Academic literature on the topic 'School attendance. [from old catalog]'

School refusal (SR) can have several negative consequences, but effective treatments are available. When chronic, school absence requires comprehensive treatment. This study evaluates an intervention for SR based on a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) model, Hemmasittarprogrammet (HSP). Attendance, anxiety, depression, quality of life, and emotional and behavioral symptoms were measured at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and follow-up. The participants (n = 84; 69% male) were SR students between 10 and 17 years old and their parents. School attendance increased after treatment and at follow-up. The proportion of students totally absent from school decreased and the number of students with an acceptable level of school attendance increased. Levels of anxiety and depression were lower both post-treatment and at follow-up for the youths and their parents. HSP, a promising treatment program for school refusal, builds on the literature of CBT-based programs, which has been shown to be effective for SR treatment. However, more research about the effectiveness of the program is needed. Future studies should have a stronger research design, include a measure of fidelity, and be evaluated independent of the founders of the program under investigation.

The objective of this study is to examine the factors influencing school attendance among the secondary school population between the ages of 15 and 17 in Ecuador, by means of a descriptive and multidimensional analysis of statistical data principally from the 2015 National Survey of Employment, Unemployment and Underemployment of Ecuador (ENEMDU). The descriptive analysis demonstrates the frequency and percentages of the variables used in the investigation, while comparing the social characteristics of student attendees and absentees in this age group. This descriptive analysis was conducted in order to provide a more enlightening profile of attendance and truancy regarding this sector of the student population whereas the method of multidimensional statistical analysis used was the hierarchical analysis which classifies the students in clusters according to their common traits.

Several months ago I was asked by a neighbour-friend, ‘Mrs James’, to help her get her eleven year-old son, ‘Stephen’ and eight year-old daughter, ‘Katherine’, back to school. Mrs James was in hospital in Sydney at the time, recovering from a serious operation, while Mr James, an invalid pensioner, was trying to look after the two remaining children at home. (An older son is with foster parents).Stephen had missed more than 100 days of school in 1988 and had not returned to school in 1989. Katherine had a somewhat better attendance record but had stopped going to school when her mother went off to Sydney. Stephen’s and Katherine’s absences had been drawn to the attention of the home-school liaison officers.

We examined the associations between preschool attendance and academic school readiness at kindergarten entry among 5-year-old children of immigrant mothers in the United States using data from a US nationally representative sample (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Birth Cohort, N = 1650). Comparing children who were in preschool (Head Start, prekindergarten, or other center-based preschool) to children being cared for exclusively at home, analyses using both ordinary least squares regressions with rich controls and with propensity score weighting consistently showed that attending preschool was associated with higher reading and math skills. Analyses focused on specific type of preschool revealed that children attending prekindergarten (but not Head Start and other center-based preschool) had higher reading and math skills than those in parental care. Analyses focused on hours of preschool attendance indicated that children’s reading skills benefited from attending more than 20 hours per week of Head Start or prekindergarten. Attending preschool, especially for full days, increases the school readiness of children of immigrants.

Background:After-school programs (ASPs) across the nation have been asked to increase the amount of activity children accumulate during such programs. Policies/standards that benchmark the amount of total activity (light-to-vigorous physical activity, LVPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) accumulated in an ASP have been developed. Little is known about the prevalence of children meeting these goals.Methods:Children (N = 812, 6 to 12 y old) attending 19 ASPs wore accelerometers for 4 days while attending an ASP. LVPA and MVPA were dichotomized according to existing ASP policies/standards. Data on whether a policy/standard was met were compared between gender, age, BMI, race/ethnicity, and ASP-type (faith-, school-, community-based) using mixed-model logistic-regression.Results:The prevalence of meeting an LVPA policy/standard ranged from 75.4% (National Afterschool Association [NAA], 20% of program time spent in LVPA) to 97.8% (NAA, 20% of time in attendance spent in LVPA), and meeting an MVPA policy/standard ranged from 0.3% (California, 60 min MVPA/d) to 26.9% (North Carolina, 20% of attendance spent in MVPA). Boys, younger children, nonwhites, and children attending faithor community-based ASPs were more likely to meet any policy/standard.Conclusion:Current practice in ASPs is sufficient to meet LVPA policies/standards but insufficient to meet MVPA policy/standards. Efforts must be directed toward identifying the most appropriate policy/standard and strategies to meet it.

Reduced school attendance is a recognised risk factor for poorer outcomes both educationally and across a wide range of social, economic and personal indicators throughout life. Children and young people with chronic health conditions often have poor or disrupted records of school attendance due to periods of hospitalisation and time spent recuperating at home. Keeping students with health conditions connected to school and learning is critical to avoid a trajectory of school absence, disengagement from schoolwork and peers, reduced achievement in education and early school leaving. This paper reports on a research project conducted in Victoria, Australia, to connect 7–12 year old hospitalised children with their school using a specially designed Presence App run on a mobile tablet computer. Nine hospitalised students, their families and schools participated in the trial. Results indicate that the Presence App helped to create and maintain a social presence for the absent child in the classroom and keep students at risk of disengagement connected to school. Our research also showed that while the ‘Presence’ App complemented existing information and communication technology such as videoconferencing and email by connecting hospitalised student and school, it had added advantages over these modes of communication such as creating an on-going classroom presence for the hospitalised child while respecting privacy and attempting to minimise disruption in the hospital and classroom settings.

The Mediterranean diet (MD), despite its multiple benefits, presents low levels of adherence among children. Moreover, childhood is a key stage in the acquisition of healthy habits. The aim of this study was to describe adherence to MD in school-age children from Asturias, Spain, and to evaluate the association with weight status and several lifestyle behaviors. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 309 children aged between 8 and 13 years old. The level of adherence to MD was evaluated through the KIDMED questionnaire. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between adherence to MD and weight status, frequency of out-of-school exercise, frequency of school canteen attendance, and sleep habits. We found that 54.4% of children had optimal adherence to MD and 29.9% of the sample was overweight or obese. Frequency of exercise practice was positively associated with optimal adherence to MD (95% CI: 1.02, 1.33). A positive association was found between some KIDMED items and frequency of out-of-school exercise practice and attendance at the school canteen. This study shows the need for an improvement in the adherence to MD in youth considering the concomitant occurrence of other related healthy behaviors.

Objective. This study assessed the impact of toothache on school attendance among secondary school students in the Ha’il Region, Saudi Arabia. Methods. A cross-sectional, paper based survey was conducted among 16–18-year-old students of public sector secondary schools in the Ha’il Region, Saudi Arabia. Results. Of the 510 students selected from the participating schools, 480 were analyzed (94.1%). Of the sample, 50.4% were boys. Among the participants in the study, 86 students reported school absence due to toothache in the six months prior to the survey. Consequently, the prevalence of absenteeism due to toothache in this study was of 18%. Conclusion. The prevalence of school absenteeism due to toothache among students in the Ha’il Region was low. Yet, still, missed school days due to toothache may have implications for students also in the Ha’il Region, Saudi Arabia, as school absenteeism leads to missed opportunities for learning and academic advancement.

Our aim is to explore (1) whether gestational medication use, mode of delivery, and early postnatal exposure correlate with childhood asthma, (2) the dose responsiveness of such exposure, and (3) their links to early- and late-onset asthma. We conducted a matched case-control study based on the Taiwan Children Health Study, which was a nationwide survey that recruited 12-to-14-year-old school children in 14 communities. 579 mothers of the participants were interviewed by telephone. Exclusive breastfeeding protected children from asthma. Notably, childhood asthma was significantly associated with maternal medication use during pregnancy, vacuum use during vaginal delivery, recurrent respiratory tract infections, hospitalization, main caregiver cared for other children, and early daycare attendance. Exposure to these factors led to dose responsiveness in relationships to asthma. Most of the exposures revealed a greater impact on early-onset asthma, except for vacuum use and daycare attendance.

PurposeThis study explores how menstruation is perceived, experienced and navigated by school-going adolescent girls living in low-to-middle income settings in South Africa. Existing research from developing countries suggest that the onset of menstruation has implications for school attendance and academic performance. There is evidence that menstrual cycle–related symptoms (primarily physical) lead to difficulties in, or interference with, and disengagement from school, social relations, and physical activities (van Iersel et al., 2016; Steiner et al., 2011; Kiesner and Pastore, 2010; Taras, 2005). The onset of menstruation can be shame-inducing and has been associated with anxiety and confusion. Few studies have been conducted on menstruation in countries with a history of sectarian violence and characterised by substantial socio-economic disparities and high levels of gender-based violence. Understanding the experiences of girls in these contexts is important in generating contextually-grounded knowledge and appropriate interventions.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used to collect data from 48 adolescent girls aged 13–16 year-old. A total of six focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire among a purposive sampling method. Data collected were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Written parental consent was obtained for participants under 18 years old.FindingsThe findings illustrated complex psychological experiences in response to menarche and menstruation. Experiences of shame in relation to menstruation were aggravated by unsupportive responses from school teachers. Challenges such as scarcity of sanitary products were experienced as creating a barrier for girls' school attendance.Research limitations/implicationsExisting research from developing countries suggests that the onset of menstruation has implications for school attendance and academic performance. The research data includes the views of adolescent learners and their negative reactions and positive experiences towards menstruation within the school environment.Practical implicationsGiven the comparative paucity of research emerging from developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, this paper addresses an important gap in the literature by providing contextually-nuanced information about the menstrual experiences of adolescent girls. The study can further provide information for efforts made by the Department of Education and Department of Health regarding the impact of menstruation on adolescent girls' school attendance.Social implicationsThis study provides important insights regarding the experiences of South African school girls in relation to menstruation. Although dominant feelings of shame, confusion and disgust may surround menstruation, the study also highlighted potential positive experiences associated with menstruation. Teachers and school administrators need to be oriented towards the needs of adolescent girls if issues regarding poor school attendance are to be addressed.Originality/valueTo reduce absenteeism in schools and ensure learners are provided with improved allocation of sanitary products in schools, there is a need for the advocacy regarding sexuality education and resources to promote the psychological health of adolescent girls.