Obese Children Miss More School Days

Teasing, health woes may contribute, researchers say

By Juhie Bhatia
HealthDay Reporter

Related Encyclopedia • Abdominoplasty • Acne • Alagille Syndrome • Ankle Sprains More... Related Healthscout Videos Nutrition and Cancer Nutrition and Osteoporosis Importance of Good Nutrition Picture Perfect Smile More... Related Animations • ADHD • Dental Cavities More... Related Drug Information • Adderal XR • Concerta • Effexor XR • Paxil More... Related News Articles • 2 Checklists Aid Those Over 50 With Medical Decisions • Chickenpox Protection: Get That Booster • Breast-Feeding: The Stress Buster That Lasts for Years • Easing Your Teens Into the Back-to-School Schedule More...

FRIDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- As children get ready to head back to the classroom, a new study finds school absenteeism is higher among overweight kids.

Obese fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders miss an average of 12 school days over the school year -- about two days more than their normal-weight peers, according to research published in the August issue of Obesity.

Text Continues Below

---

"This is the first study of its kind," noted study author Gary Foster, director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in Philadelphia. "We're not saying that obesity leads to absenteeism, but whatever the relationship is, mathematically, as more kids get obese, more will be absent. That has lots of academic implications."

Foster and his team looked at 1,069 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders in nine inner-city Philadelphia elementary schools. More than 80 percent of these children were eligible for free and reduced-price lunches.

Homeroom teachers recorded the student's attendance for the school year, and the youngsters' weight was measured in the second semester. The kids were put into one of four weight categories: underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese.

The study found that obese children were absent significantly more than normal-weight children: 12 days versus 10 days over the school year. Even after the researchers adjusted for age, race/ethnicity and gender, obesity was still a significant contributor to the number of days a student was absent.

"This study suggests that it is possible that obesity prevention programs could have the effect of improving school attendance in addition to reducing weight-related health risks," said Dr. Thomas N. Robinson, an associate professor of pediatrics at Stanford University and director of the Center for Healthy Weight at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. "If obesity prevention also increases school attendance, even small improvements may produce very large benefits across the population as a whole."

Page:  1 | 2 | 3 | Next >>