Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40084210›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2025

Malaria and missed school days: exploring school absenteeism patterns and local strategies in Odisha, India.

Muhammed Jabir, Dilip K Panigrahi, Muhammad M Baig, Vijayakumar Balakrishnan, Prasant K Panda, Ashwani Kumar, Manju Rahi, Ananganallur N Shriram

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Article in Frontiers in public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Muhammed JabirDepartment of Epidemiology and Operational Research, ICMR- Vector Control Research Centre, Puducherry, India.
Dilip K PanigrahiICMR-Vector Control Research Centre, Field Station, Koraput, Odisha, India.
Muhammad M BaigICMR-Vector Control Research Centre, Field Station, Koraput, Odisha, India.
Vijayakumar BalakrishnanDepartment of Biostatistics and VBD Modelling, ICMR- Vector Control Research Centre, Puducherry, India.
Prasant K PandaDepartment of Economics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India.
Ashwani KumarSaveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India.
Manju RahiICMR-Vector Control Research Centre, Puducherry, India.
Ananganallur N ShriramDivision of Vector Biology and Control, ICMR-Vector Control Research Centre, Puducherry, India.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

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. Methods: 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 analyzed. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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.

Indexed as

AbsenteeismMalariaSchoolsStudentsAdolescentChildFemaleHumansIndiaMaleRetrospective StudieschildreneducationIndialocal strategiesmalariaOdishaschool absenteeism

Identifiers

PMID40084210
PMCPMC11904912

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.