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Poster #76 - Household food insecurity and absenteeism among Junior High School students in Ghana

Fri, March 22, 9:45 to 11:00am, Baltimore Convention Center, Floor: Level 1, Exhibit Hall B

Integrative Statement

Background and objectives: Absenteeism among children is a pervasive problem in Ghana. Prior research suggests that childhood emotional, physical and sexual abuse, neglect, exposure to domestic violence, death of a parent, and parental incarceration and substance use are associated with absenteeism. Although studies have established a link between household food insecurity and poor academic outcomes, few studies in Ghana have investigated the association between household food insecurity and absenteeism among Junior High School (JHS) students. Using a large nationally representative data set, the objectives of this study are to examine: 1) the prevalence of household food insecurity and absenteeism among JHS students in Ghana, and 2) the association between household food insecurity and absenteeism among JHS students after adjusting for the effect of demographic characteristics, household socioeconomic factors, school factors, and health and mental health factors.
Data and methods: Data for this study came from the 2012 Ghana Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS). A sample of 1,121 students aged 11 to 18 years (54.5% males) were analyzed. The dependent variable investigated in this study was absenteeism without permission during the past 30 days prior to the survey date and the independent variable investigated in this study was household food insecurity. Data analytic strategies included the use of descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate techniques. Binary logistic regression was conducted to examine the association between household food insecurity and absenteeism among JHS students after controlling for other relevant predictors.
Results: Of the 1,121 students examined, more than half (58%) were from food insecure households and 39.8% of the students missed school without permission during the past 30 days. Controlling for other predictors, students from food insecure households had 1.56 times higher odds of missing school without permission when compared to their counterparts from food secure households (AOR = 1.56, 95% C.I = 1.20-2.02). Students who were bullied had 1.34 times higher odds of missing school when compared to their counterparts who were not bullied (AOR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.02-1.77). Other predictors of absenteeism include: loneliness, fighting in school, suicidal ideation, alcohol, and illicit substance use. Parental support had a protective effect on absenteeism such that, for each additional increase in parental support score, the odds of absenteeism were predicted to decrease by 4% (AOR = 0.96, 95% C.I = 0.92-0.99).
Conclusion: The findings of the current study demonstrates the negative adverse effect of household food insecurity on absenteeism. The findings of this study has significant implications for programs and policies aimed at ensuring that both girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. Given the strong association between household food insecurity and absenteeism, there is the need for the design and implementation of school feeding programs, with a wider coverage, to encourage and improve attendance among JHS students in Ghana. The results of our study also provides evidence for the need to build a supportive school climate that encourages students to seek help for bullying and threats of violence.

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