Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research article

Adolescent school absenteeism and service use in a population-based study

Authors: Kristin Gärtner Askeland, Siren Haugland, Kjell Morten Stormark, Tormod Bøe, Mari Hysing

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2015

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

School absenteeism is linked to a range of health concerns, health risk behaviors and school dropout. It is therefore important to evaluate the extent to which adolescents with absenteeism are in contact with health care and other services. The aim of the current study was to investigate service use of Norwegian adolescents with moderate and high absenteeism in comparison to students with lower rates of absence.

Methods

The study employs data from a population-based study from 2012 targeting all pupils in upper secondary education in Hordaland County, Norway (the youth@hordaland-survey). A total of 8988 adolescents between the ages of 16 and 18 were included in the present study. Information on service use was based on adolescent self-report data collected in the youth@hordaland-survey. Absence data was collected using administrative data provided by the Hordaland County Council.

Results

High absence (defined as being absent 15 % or more the past semester) was found among 10.1 % of the adolescents. Compared to their peers with low absence (less than 3 % absence the past semester), adolescents with high absence were more likely to be in contact with all the services studied, including mental health services (odds ratio (OR) 3.96), adolescent health clinics (OR 2.11) and their general practitioner (GP) (OR 1.94). Frequency of contact was higher among adolescents with moderate and high absence and there seems to be a gradient of service use corresponding to the level of absence. Still, 40 % of the adolescents with high absence had not been in contact with any services.

Conclusions

Adolescents with high absence had increased use of services, although a group of youth at risk seems to be without such contact. This finding suggests a potential to address school absenteeism through systematic collaboration between schools and health personnel.
Literature
1.
Attwood G, Croll P. Truancy in secondary school pupils: prevalence, trajectories and pupil perspectives. Res Pap Educ. 2006;20(4):467–84.CrossRef
2.
Attwood G, Croll P. Truancy and well-being among secondary school pupils in England. Educ Stud. 2014;41(1-2):14–28.CrossRef
3.
Eaton DK, Brener N, Kann LK. Associations of health risk behaviors with school absenteeism. Does having permission for the absence make a difference? J School Health. 2008;78(4):223–9.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Ingul JM, Klöckner CA, Silverman WK, Nordahl HM. Adolescent school absenteeism: modelling social and individual risk factors. Child Adolesc Mental Health. 2012;17(2):93–100.CrossRef
5.
6.
Kearney C. An Interdisciplinary Model of School Absenteeism in Youth to Inform Professional Practice and Public Policy. Educ Psychol Rev. 2008;20(3):257–82.CrossRef
7.
Maynard BR, McCrea KT, Pigott TD, Kelly MS. Indicated Truancy Interventions for Chronic Truant Students: A Campbell Systematic Review. Res Soc Work Pract. 2013;23(1):5–21.CrossRef
8.
Henry KL, Huizinga DH. Truancy's effect on the onset of drug use among urban adolescents placed at risk. J Adolesc Health. 2007;40(4):358.e359-317.CrossRef
9.
10.
Mounteney J, Haugland S, Skutle A. Truancy, alcohol use and alcohol-related problems in secondary school pupils in Norway. Health Educ Res. 2010;25(6):945–54.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Guttmacher S, Weitzman BC, Kapadia F, Weinberg SL. Classroom-based surveys of adolescent risk-taking behaviors: Reducing the bias of absenteeism. Am J Public Health. 2002;92:235–7.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
12.
Kearney CA. School absenteeism and school refusal behavior in youth: a contemporary review. Clin Psychol Rev. 2008;28(3):451–71.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Egger HL, Costello EJ, Angold A. School Refusal and Psychiatric Disorders: A Community Study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psych. 2003;42(7):797–807.CrossRef
14.
Wood JJ, Lynne-Landsman SD, Langer DA, Wood PA, Clark SL, Eddy JM, et al. School attendance problems and youth psychopathology: structural cross-lagged regression models in three longitudinal data sets. Child Dev. 2012;83(1):351–66.CrossRefPubMed
15.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Managing long-term sickness and incapacity for work. In: NICE public health guidance 19. Manchester: National Insitute for Health and Clinical Excellence; 2009.
16.
Zwaanswijk M, Van der Ende J, Verhaak PF, Bensing JM, Verhulst FC. Factors associated with adolescent mental health service need and utilization. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2003;42(6):692–700.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Kekkonen VK, Kivimaki P, Valtonen H, Tolmunen T, Lehto SM, Hintikka J, Laukkanen E: Psychosocial problems in adolescents associate with frequent health care use. Family practice 2015;32(3):305-10.
18.
Zwaanswijk M, Verhaak PF, Bensing JM, van der Ende J, Verhulst FC. Help seeking for emotional and behavioural problems in children and adolescents: a review of recent literature. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2003;12(4):153–61.CrossRefPubMed
19.
Zachrisson H, Rodje K, Mykletun A. Utilization of health services in relation to mental health problems in adolescents: A population based survey. BMC Public Health. 2006;6(1):34.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
20.
Vila M, Kramer T, Obiols JE, Garralda ME. Adolescents who are frequent attenders to primary care: contribution of psychosocial factors. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2012;47(2):323–9.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Maynard BR, Salas-Wright CP, Vaughn MG, Peters KE. Who are truant youth? Examining distinctive profiles of truant youth using latent profile analysis. J Youth Adolesc. 2012;41(12):1671–84.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
22.
Dembo R, Wareham J, Schmeidler J, Briones-Robinson R, Winters K. Differential Effects of Mental Health Problems Among Truant Youths. J Behav Health Serv Res. 2014;1–26.
23.
Lyon AR, Cotler S. Toward reduced bias and increased utility in the assessment of school refusal behavior: The case for diverse samples and evaluations of context. Psychol Sch. 2007;44(6):551–65.CrossRef
24.
Hawkrigg S, Payne DN. Prolonged school non-attendance in adolescence: a practical approach. Arch Dis Child. 2014;99(10):954–7.CrossRefPubMed
25.
Vaughn MG, Maynard BR, Salas-Wright CP, Perron BE, Abdon A. Prevalence and correlates of truancy in the US: results from a national sample. J Adolesc. 2013;36(4):767–76.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
26.
Balfanz R, Byrnes V. Chronic absenteeism: Summarizing What We Know From Nationally Available Data. In. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Center for Social Organization of Schools; 2012.
27.
Shumow L, Miller JD. Parents’ At-Home and At-School Academic Involvement with Young Adolescents. J Early Adolesc. 2001;21(1):68–91.CrossRef
28.
Epstein JL, Sheldon SB. Present and Accounted for: Improving Student Attendance Through Family and Community Involvement. J Educ Res. 2002;95(5):308–18.CrossRef
29.
Hill NE, Tyson DF. Parental involvement in middle school: a meta-analytic assessment of the strategies that promote achievement. Dev Psychol. 2009;45(3):740–63.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
30.
Walker SC, Kerns SEU, Lyon AR, Bruns EJ, Cosgrove TJ. Impact of School-Based Health Center Use on Academic Outcomes. J Adolesc Health. 2010;46(3):251–7.CrossRefPubMed
31.
Kerns SE, Pullmann MD, Walker SC, Lyon AR, Cosgrove TJ, Bruns EJ. Adolescent use of school-based health centers and high school dropout. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2011;165(7):617–23.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Jones R, Hoare P, Elton R, Dunhill Z, Sharpe M. Frequent medical absences in secondary school students: survey and case-control study. Arch Dis Child. 2009;94(10):763–7.CrossRefPubMed
33.
Weitzman M, Klerman LV, Lamb G, Menary J, Alpert JJ. School absence: a problem for the pediatrician. Pediatrics. 1982;69(6):739–46.PubMed
Metadata
Title
Adolescent school absenteeism and service use in a population-based study
Authors
Kristin Gärtner Askeland
Siren Haugland
Kjell Morten Stormark
Tormod Bøe
Mari Hysing
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1978-9

Other articles of this Issue 1/2015

BMC Public Health 1/2015 Go to the issue

Research article

Household and area income levels are associated with smoking status in the Korean adult population

Research article

Monthly variations in self-report of time-specified and typical alcohol use: The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT3)

Research article

Physician and patient concordance of report of tobacco cessation intervention in primary care in India

Research article

Are associations between electronic media use and BMI different across levels of physical activity?

Research article

Characteristics of Indigenous adults with poorly controlled diabetes in north Queensland: implications for services

Research article

Why are older adults and individuals with underlying chronic diseases in Germany not vaccinated against flu? A population-based study