STUDENTS’ HEALTH STATUS AND OTHER DETERMINANTS OF SCHOOL ABSENTEEISM AMONG PUBLIC MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS OF OSUN STATE; A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Introduction: Absenteeism from school is a serious mental and physical health concern for many children and adolescents globally. Recently the United Nations called for a shift of focus from school enrolment to school attendance in order to achieve universal basic education.This study assessed the health and other determinants of school absenteeism in urban and rural public middle schools in Osun State and described their relationship with students’ physical and mental health status.
Methodology: Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. A comparative cross-sectional study design was employed for the quantitative method which utilized a multistage sampling technique to select 650 students above 10 years of age in ten public middle schools in the urban and rural local government areas in the state.A semi-structured questionnaire was used to elicit responses on student, family and school characteristics that could predispose to school absenteeism.Physical assessment such as weight and height measurement,visual acuity and hearing assessment were done.In addition, in-depth interviews for the principals, teachers and parents and focused group discussions for groups of students were also conducted. Data from quantitative study was entered using EpiInfo and analysed using SPSS version 20 IBM.Statistical inferences were made using independent chi-square and logistic regression analysis at a p value of < than 0.05. Content analysis was done for qualitative study and findings were presented using tables. The study was done between August 2016 to July 2017.
Result: The respondents were predominantly within the age group of 11 – 14 years in both local government areas (urban area = 87.1%, rural area = 87.7%).A statistically significantly higher proportion of respondents in the rural local government area (RLG) were Christians (61.1%) compared to urban area (ULG) that had more Muslim respondents (60.0%) (p <
2
0.01). Also, the RLG had more respondents that were involved in generating income for their family (p < 0.01) and that were residing with either of their parents (p = 0.01) compared to the ULG. The prevalence of absenteeism was statistically significantly higher in the ULG (29.5%) compared with rural local government (20.7%) (p = 0.01).Respondents in ULG who were from the poorest socio-economic quintile or lived at a walking distance of 20 minutes or more from school or had history of bullying in preceding thirty days to survey had higher likelihood of school absenteeism compared to those from richest quintile or lived within twenty minutes walking distance from school or had no history of bullying. Respondents in ULG who lived with both parents or who had low height for age (stunted) or respondents in RLG whose father had post-secondary education were less likely to be absent from school compared with their counterpart who lived with either one of their parents or had normal or high height for age or whose father had secondary education or less. About two-third of the respondents in both local government areas had non-categorical chronic physical health condition while abnormal mental score was observed in 9.2% of respondents in ULG and 14.2% of respondents in RLG. Respondents that lived twenty minutes or more from school or had history of bullying had higher likelihood of chronic physical health condition or abnormal mental score respectively in both local government areas in the state. Other determinants of chronic physical health condition and abnormal mental score observed were parenting style and female gender. There was strong association between presence of chronic physical health conditions and school absenteeism in both the ULG and the RLG while the association was not statistically significant with the mental health status of respondents.
Conclusion and Recommendation: There were urban-rural differences in the determinants of school absenteeism in public middle schools in Osun State and interventions must be contextualised based on school location to tackle the problem in the state. However, interventions that prioritized student’s physical health status may have more yields.

STUDENTS’ HEALTH STATUS AND OTHER DETERMINANTS OF SCHOOL ABSENTEEISM AMONG PUBLIC MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS OF OSUN STATE; A COMPARATIVE STUDY