Background: Although asthma is known to be associated with higher school absenteeism, little is known about this association in low-middle income countries. Moreover, associations between other allergic diseases and absenteeism are not well reported.

Methods: We analysed data from the PERFORMANCE study¹. Briefly, we obtained self-reported information on wheeze, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and skin rashes in 2,717 Indian adolescents (aged 13-14 years). Absenteeism was self-reported as absent from school for health-related conditions and was coded as ?Never? (no absence outside holidays), ?Often? (<4 days/month), and ?Frequently? (?4 days/month) in the past 12 months. Associations between allergic diseases and absenteeism were analysed using multinomial logistic regression (taking ?never? as the base outcome) adjusted for sex and domicile (rural, suburban, and urban).

Results: Of those studied, 55% were boys, 13% reported wheeze, 12% had asthma, and 22% reported allergic rhinitis and skin rashes. 16% and 22% reported often and frequent absences from school, respectively. In multivariable models, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and skin rashes were associated with moderate (often) absenteeism but only asthma was associated with high (frequent) absenteeism.

Conclusion: Our data suggest a significant role of asthma and allergic diseases in school absenteeism among Indian adolescents.

References: ¹PMID: 29977901