Absenteeism from Lectures Among Medical Students in Casablanca

Abstract

Introduction: Absenteeism among medical students is a remarkable issue, affecting learning process and academic performance. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence and associated factors to medical students’ absenteeism. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in Casablanca using self administered questionnaires distributed to medical students from year one to year five levels randomly selected. The associations between absenteeism and all variables was identified by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: 373 students completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of absenteeism in this study was 19.6% (95% CI=[15.9-23.9]). Multivariate analysis revealed several factors significantly associated with absenteeism from lectures, including age (AOR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.07–2.48), being passionate about medicine (AOR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.06–0.75), mode of transportation (AOR = 2.47, 95% CI: 1.06–5.77), lack of interaction between lecturer and students (AOR = 11.97, 95% CI: 1.39-102.46), dislike the teaching style (AOR = 6.87, 95% CI: 2.55-18.48), the ease of the subject (AOR = 2.96, 95% CI: 1.05-8.33) and students who prefer to study alone (AOR = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.26-6.56). Conclusion: At the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in Casablanca teaching strategies and lecture environment were the main factors related to absenteeism from lectures. Exploring a variety of teaching methods such as hybrid learning can be a beneficial preventive intervention.