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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Children and Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1502247
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Background: Malaria continues to pose a significant global health challenge, disproportionately affecting children. While its effects on physical health are well-documented, the impact on education, particularly school absenteeism, remains less understood. This study aimed to explore the influence of malaria on school absenteeism in Odisha, India.A mixed-methods study was conducted in four southern districts of Odisha from September 2023 to February 2024. This involved a retrospective analysis of school attendance registers from five primary schools and qualitative interviews with 25 school teachers.Statistical analysis was performed using SATA 14.1. Mixed effects logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictive factors of absenteeism with independent variables such as year, area of school and class. Qualitative data from interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed.The study evaluated absenteeism among 832 children from Class 1 to Class 5 across four academic years (2016-2020), with schools averaging 185 working days annually. While absenteeism rates varied by school, the proportion of students with yearly absenteeism rates of ≥30% remained relatively stable, ranging from 6% to 12.1%. Average absenteeism ranged from 11.5 days in the academic year 2016-2017 to a peak of 22.6 days in 2018-2019. Logistic regression analysis revealed no significant association between malaria endemicity and absenteeism patterns. Schools employed several malaria prevention and case management strategies, including health education, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), vector control, screening, testing, and on-site treatment. However, resource constraints and cultural barriers continue to pose challenges.: Despite a decline in malaria cases in the study area, school absenteeism persists due to factors beyond malaria. Future interventions should address these broader socio-cultural and logistical issues to effectively manage absenteeism and improve educational outcomes in malaria-endemic regions.
Keywords: Malaria, School absenteeism, Children, Education, India, Odisha
Received: 30 Sep 2024; Accepted: 05 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 MM, Panigrahi, Baig, Balakrishnan, Panda, Kumar, Rahi and Ananganallur Nagarajan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Shriram Ananganallur Nagarajan, Vector Control Research Centre (ICMR), Puducherry, India
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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