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- Title
The Impact of School Building Conditions on Student Absenteeism in Upstate New York.
- Authors
Simons, Elinor; Hwang, Syni-An; Fitzgerald, Edward F.; Kielb, Christine; Lin, Shao
- Abstract
Objectives. We investigated Upstate New York school building conditions and examined the associations between school absenteeism and building condition problems. Methods. We merged data from the 2005 Building Condition Survey of Upstate New York schools with 2005 New York State Education Department student absenteeism data at the individual school level and evaluated associations between building conditions and absenteeism at or above the 90th percentile. Results. After adjustment for confounders, student absenteeism was associated with visible mold (odds ratio [OR]=2.22; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.34, 3.68), humidity (OR=3.07; 95% CI=1.37, 6.89), poor ventilation (OR=3.10; 95% CI=1.79, 5.37), vermin (OR=2.23; 95% CI=1.32, 3.76), 6 or more individual building condition problems (OR=2.97; 95% CI=1.84, 4.79), and building system or structural problems related to these conditions. Schools in lower socioeconomic districts and schools attended by younger students showed the strongest associations between poor building conditions and absenteeism. Conclusions. We found associations between student absenteeism and adverse school building conditions. Future studies should confirm these findings and prioritize strategies for school condition improvements.
- Subjects
NEW York (State); SCHOOL attendance research; SCHOOL building maintenance &; repair; STUDENT health; ASTHMA in children; ENVIRONMENTALLY induced diseases
- Publication
American Journal of Public Health, 2010, Vol 100, Issue 9, p1679
- ISSN
0090-0036
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2105/AJPH.2009.165324