Missing Care, Missing Class: Analyzing the Overlooked Relationship Between Unmet Healthcare Needs and Absenteeism

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Education Policy
• Healthcare Access

Background:

• Health-related issues are a primary cause of student absences.
• The link between student health and school attendance is well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the relationship between unmet healthcare needs and school absenteeism.
• To identify specific types of healthcare services that, when missed, correlate with increased absences.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Ordinary Least Squares regression on data from the National Survey of Children's Health.
• Examined the impact of unmet healthcare needs on days missed due to illness or injury, controlling for insurance, chronic illness, and demographics.

Main Results:

• Students who needed but did not receive care were significantly more likely to miss school due to illness or injury.
• The most frequently missed care types included dental, medical, and mental health services.
• This association remained significant across various demographic and health statuses.

Conclusions:

• Barriers to healthcare access, such as appointment availability, contribute to chronic absenteeism.
• School and community initiatives to improve timely healthcare access are crucial for reducing student absences.
• Addressing healthcare access is an educational imperative, not solely a healthcare system issue.