ERIC Number: EJ1405725
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-4391
EISSN: EISSN-1746-1561
Association between Area-Level Income Inequality and Health-Related School Absenteeism: Evidence from the Compass Study
Journal of School Health, v94 n2 p148-157 2024
Background: Income inequality is theorized to impact health. However, evidence among adolescents is limited. This study examined the association between income inequality and health-related school absenteeism (HRSA) in adolescents. Methods: Participants were adolescents (n = 74,501) attending secondary schools (n = 136) that participated in the 2018-2019 wave of the COMPASS study. Chronic (missing =3 days of school in the previous 4 weeks) and problematic (missing =11 days of school in the previous 4 weeks) HRSA was self-reported. Income inequality was assessed via the Gini coefficient at the census division (CD) level. Multilevel modeling was used. Results: Greater income inequality was associated with a higher likelihood of chronic and problematic HRSA (chronic: OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.30; problematic: OR = 1.29, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.50). Increased predicted probabilities for Problematic HRSA were observed at greater degrees of income inequality among students who identified as either white, black, Latinx, or mixed, while protective associations were observed among students who identified as Asian or other. No associations were modified by gender. Conclusion: Income inequality demonstrated unfavorable associations with HRSA, which was modified by racial identity.
Descriptors: Correlation, Social Differences, Secondary School Students, Attendance, Prediction, Diseases, Gender Differences, Health, Family Income, Chronic Illness
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A