Health, nutrition and access to education.

BackgroundFree school breakfast programmes (SBPs) exist in a number of high-income countries, but their effects on educational outcomes have rarely been evaluated in randomised controlled trials.MethodsA 1-year stepped-wedge, cluster randomised...

PROTOCOL: The effects of K‐12 school enrollment interventions in developing nations

Schooling and Labor Market Impacts of Bolivia's <i>Bono Juancito Pinto</i> Program

The link between oral diseases and school performance and school attendance remains unclear among Middle Eastern children. To investigate the relationship of oral conditions with schoolchildren's school performance and attendance using the life-course approach. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 466 schoolchildren aged 7-8years from Kingdom of Bahrain (KoB) and their parents. Questionnaire data on children's current and at-birth environmental characteristics were completed by their parents. Children's oral health measures, including ICDAS (International Caries Detection and Assessment System), PUFA (pulp, ulcer, fistula, abscess), and DDE (developmental defects of enamel) indices, were the exposure variables. School performance and school attendance data obtained from the school register were the outcome variables. The data were analysed using multivariate ordinal logistic regression. The odds of excellent school performance were significantly lower for children with untreated dentinal caries (OR=0.98; 95% CI: 0.96-0.99). Children with caries-treated teeth showed greater odds of excellent school performance (OR=1.41; 95% CI: 1.15-1.74). Disease Control and PreventionNone of the dental conditions were significantly associated with children's school attendance. A permissive parental style was associated with poor school attendance (OR=2.63; 95% CI: 1.08-6.42). Dental caries was associated with poor school performance but not with school attendance. Treated caries was associated with good school performance.

Building upon the social-risk management approach, this paper examines dimensions of household behavior that are important for risk management and reduction of vulnerability, beyond issues of consumption. This paper attempts to assess to what extent risk and vulnerability factors are relevant for household decisions concerning children's school attendance and labor supply. Particular focus has been given to the evaluation of the effect of shocks, credit rationing and insurance on household decisions concerning children's activities. On the basis of a theoretical approach based on well known results relative to human capital investment decision and children's labor supply, the paper developed an estimation strategy that allows an assessment of the importance of a set of risk factors. Because of the potential endogeneity of the variable of interest, a methodology based on propensity scores was applied. We also carried out a sensitivity analysis in order to assess the robustness of our causal inference with respect to unobservable household characteristics. The results indicate the relevance that the occurrence of shocks has for children's labor supply and school attendance. Credit rationing also appears to be an important cause of school attendance and, to a lesser extent, of child labor. This evidence, together with the role that insurance appears to play, strongly support the role of SMR approach in the area of child labor.

We examined school days missed for routine dental care versus dental pain or infection to determine the relationship between children's oral health status and school attendance and performance. We used 2008 data from the North Carolina Child Health Assessment and Monitoring Program. The study sample, weighted to reflect the state's population, included 2183 schoolchildren. Variables assessed included school absences and performance, oral health status, parental education, health insurance coverage, race, and gender. Children with poor oral health status were nearly 3 times more likely (odds ratio = 3.89; 95% confidence interval = 1.96, 7.75) than were their counterparts to miss school as a result of dental pain. Absences caused by pain were associated with poorer school performance (P < .05), but absences for routine care were not. Mediation analyses revealed that oral health status was associated with performance independent of absence for pain. Children with poorer oral health status were more likely to experience dental pain, miss school, and perform poorly in school. These findings suggest that improving children's oral health status may be a vehicle to enhancing their educational experience.

Few studies have investigated how intimate partner violence (IPV), and patterns of IPV experiences, may impact children's school attendance in low- and middle-income countries. Using baseline data from a sub-sample of 659 women in Mexico City enrolled in a randomized controlled trial who reported having a child under age 18 and in school, multilevel latent class analysis (LCA) was used to classify women based on their reported IPV experiences. Multilevel risk regression analyses examined associations between latent class membership and IPV-related disruptions in children's schooling. Latent classes were identified in a prior study. Overall, 23.3% of women reported their child's school attendance was disrupted due to IPV. LCA identified four distinct classes of IPV experiences: Low Physical and Sexual Violence (39.1%); Low Physical and High Sexual Violence class (14.8%), High Physical and Low Sexual Violence and Injuries (36.5%); and High Physical and Sexual Violence and Injuries (9.6%). Compared with women in the Low Physical and Sexual Violence class, women in the High Physical and Sexual Violence and Injuries class and women in the High Physical and Low Sexual Violence and Injuries class were at greater risk of IPV disrupting children's school attendance (ARR 3.39, 95% CI 2.34, 4.92; ARR 2.22, 95% CI 1.54, 3.19, respectively). No other statistically significant associations emerged. High disruptions in children's school attendance due to IPV were reported and were differentially related to patterns of IPV experiences. Findings underscore the need to understand underlying mechanisms. Future work integrating both violence against women and violence against children is needed.

In Bangladesh, many disabled children are not attending school. Despite the country’s special policies, laws, and services, most disabled children face a barrier to enrollment in school. To increase the school attendance of children, particularly disabled children, research on barriers to school attendance is essential. It will help to ensure that all children, including those with disabilities, receive an education. This paper will investigate the factors associated with children with disabilities missing school. This study will utilize data from a large sample based on Nationally representative multiple indicator cluster survey 2019 in Bangladesh. The study group included 5024 disabled children ranging in age from 6 to 17 years. To determine the significant covariates for the multivariate analysis, a bivariate analysis was performed. The findings indicate that age of the child, gender, household head sex, education of the household head, area (urban/rural), husband age, whether the husband has more wives, and disability types are all associated with disabled children being absent from school. Using these findings, the government of Bangladesh and other stakeholders should advocate for policies and programs that reduce barriers to education and ensure that all disabled children attend school.

Children's early school attendance and stability as a mechanism through which homelessness is associated with academic achievement

This study aims to identify the effects of foreign remittances on school enrolment and the educational expenditures of children in the Peshawar district. Primary data were acquired by simple random sampling and a questionnaire. Correspondingly, the logit approach and Heckman selection theory were utilized to examine school enrolment and educational expenses. The marginal effects were evaluated to determine the co-efficient. The study's findings indicate that Per Capita Remittances (PCRM) have a highly substantial and beneficial effect on children's school attendance, with a (10.8%) point increase in school enrolment for every 100 rupees rises in Per Capita Remittances (PCRM). Suppose a household's Per Capita Income (PCIM) improves by one hundred rupees, the probability of children enrolling in school increases by (0.17). The results indicate that PCRM and educational costs per kid are significantly and positively correlated. Educational spending per child increases by 12.01 rupees for every 100 rupees rise in family remittances per capita, whereas every 100 rupees increase in per capita income increases educational expenditure per kid by (8.38 PKR). Which leads to an 8.38 % marginal propensity to spend on child education.

Disparities in school attendance exist for children with medical complexity (CMC) due to COVID-19. Longitudinal changes in family-reported school safety perceptions and predictors of full-time, in-person school attendance are unknown. This was a prospective, longitudinal cohort study with 3 survey waves (June 2021-June 2022) among English- and Spanish-speaking families of CMC aged 5 to 17 years and pre-pandemic school attendance. Changes in Health Belief Model perceptions and full-time in-person school attendance were estimated using multivariate generalized linear modeling with repeated measures. Among 1601 respondents (52.9% of 3073 invited), 86.8% participated in all 3 surveys. School safety perceptions improved with time; however, perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 increased. Full-time in-person school attendance rose from 48.4% to 90.0% from wave 1 to 3 (p < .0001), and was associated with motivation, benefits, and cues. For example, families with low compared to high motivation for in-person attendance had 76% versus 98% predicted probability for child's school attendance, respectively at wave 3 (p < .0001). Probability of full-time in-person school attendance was associated with several health belief model perceptions. School health policy and programs may benefit from promoting family motivation, benefits, and cues during future respiratory illness epidemics including COVID-19. In-person school attendance improved for CMC over time. Opportunities exist to continue optimizing in-person attendance and family-perceived safety for CMC at school.

We study the implementation of Bolsa Familia, a program that conditions cash transfers to poor families on children's school attendance. Using unique administrative data, we analyze how beneficiaries respond to the enforcement of conditionality. Making use of random variation in the day on which punishments are received, we find that school attendance increases after families are punished for past noncompliance. Families also respond to penalties experienced by peers: a child's attendance increases if her own classmates, but also her siblings' classmates (in other grades or schools), experience enforcement. As the severity of penalties increases with repeated noncompliance, households' response is larger when peers receive a penalty that the family has not (yet) received. We thus find evidence of spillover effects and learning about enforcement.

BackgroundViolence during childhood may affect short and long-term educational factors. There is scant literature on younger children from resource poor settings.MethodsThis study assessed child violence experiences (harsh punishment and exposure to domestic or community violence) and school enrolment, progress and attendance in children attending community-based organisations in South Africa and Malawi (n=989) at baseline and at 15 months' follow-up, examining differential experience of HIV positive, HIV affected and HIV unaffected children.ResultsViolence exposure was high: 45.4% experienced some form of psychological violence, 47.8% physical violence, 46.7% domestic violence and 41.8% community violence. Primary school enrolment was 96%. Violence was not associated with school enrolment at baseline but, controlling for baseline, children exposed to psychological violence for discipline were more than ten times less likely to be enrolled at follow-up (OR 0.09; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.57). Harsh discipline was associated with poor school progress. For children HIV positive a detrimental effect of harsh physical discipline was found on school performance (OR 0.10; 95% CI 0.02 to 0.61).ConclusionViolence experiences were associated with a number of educational outcomes, which may have long-term consequences. Community-based organisations may be well placed to address such violence, with a particular emphasis on the challenges faced by children who are HIV positive.

Studies show that adult dialysis patients with allograft failure have increased mortality and morbidity on dialysis compared to transplant naïve patients. We previously showed comparable mortality risk in pediatric dialysis patients after allograft failure compared to transplant naïve patients; the impact on morbidity is less clear. Specifically, the effect of allograft failure on school attendance in pediatric patients has not previously been studied. Using the North American Pediatric Renal Trials and Collaborative Studies database, we compared school attendance between transplant naïve and allograft failure patients from 1 January 1992 to 31 December 2007. School attendance was compared between the two groups at 6 and 12 months after dialysis initiation using a chi-square test. Factors which can potentially impact on school attendance data were evaluated using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. There were 2783 patients who had a follow-up at least 6 months after dialysis initiation and were capable of attending school during the study period. Patients were categorized by transplant history: previous allograft failure (n=576) and transplant naïve (n=2207). At 6 months, full-time school attendance was 67.2% in the allograft failure group and 72.3% in the transplant naïve group (P=0.0164). At 12 months, attendance was 68.6% in the allograft failure group and 72.5% in the transplant naïve group (P=0.103). After covariate adjustment, transplant failure did not impact school attendance at either 6 or 12 months follow-up [hazard ratio (HR) 1.12, confidence interval (CI) 0.91-1.39; HR 0.99, CI 0.78-1.27, respectively]. Children with failed allografts who return to dialysis have comparable school attendance compared to their transplant naïve dialysis counterparts. These results suggest that transplant failure is not an adverse prognostic factor for quality of life as measured by full-time school attendance.

This paper aims to begin to fill in the gap about the possible role of school quality in affecting household decisions relative to children's work and school attendance. While from a theoretical point of view, authors will expect school quality to be an important determinant of household decisions, as it influences expected return to education, there is almost no empirical evidence available on the matter. The authors first review evidence based on cross country data to assess whether some clear stylized fact can be identified: cross country data show that children's work and school attendance are negatively (positively) correlated to a few of the available school indicators. Subsequently, authors use micro data for Yemen and Cambodia to identify the effects of school quality on school attendance and children's work, and results become more definitive. The authors finding suggest that school quality matters for working children: better schools do reduce participation to economic activities and increase school attendance.