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Objective: School absenteeism and grade retention are associated with various life-course problems. In this study, we examined school absenteeism and grade retention in Ethiopian adolescents, as well as factors associated with them. Methods: We analyzed data from 1200 adolescents (aged 1014 years) from 20 public primary schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We carried out multivariate logistic regression analyses, adjusting for school-level clustering, to determine the factors associated with school absenteeism and grade retention. Results: Grade retention, father's lower education, parental occupation other than a government job, household food insecurity, being in large schools, and not having toilets in the school were associated with higher absenteeism rates, while involvement in paid work was associated with lower absenteeism rates. Having educational resources at home was associated with lower odds of retaining a grade but having mental health problems and a father's occupation other than a government job were associated with higher odds of grade retention. Conclusions: Interventions aiming to increase school presence and performance among urban Ethiopian adolescents may require a multi-level approach addressing food insecurity, psychosocial problems, and provision of sanitation facilities at schools.
Key words: adolescent; diet and food insecurity; grade retention; school absenteeism; Ethiopia
At different times or for different reasons, all students would like to miss a school day. This tendency is called absenteeism. The problem of student absenteeism, defined as a time when a student does not attend school,1 is a constant concern among high school students in many low-income countries.2 Chronic absenteeism includes absenteeism, both excused and unexcused, as well as suspension. The issue of absenteeism in schools is a complex one with many causes and adverse consequences.3 Additionally, absenteeism has been linked to grade repetition and school dropout, which are associated with social, economic, and health problems in adulthood.
Several factors contribute to school absenteeism, including personal and psychological, familial and parental, school-related, and environment-related factors.3-5 At the individual level, the main reason for absenteeism is usually a chronic or acute illness.3,6 Several studies show that students who are absent frequently from school are more likely to have anxiety disorders, affective disorders, disruptive disorders, depression, and substance abuse than those that are not absent frequently from school.3,7'9
Student absenteeism is related to a variety of school-level factors including boredom...