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Illness Among Schoolchildren During Influenza Season
Effect on School Absenteeism, Parental Absenteeism From Work, and Secondary Illness in Families
Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH;
Cynthia Hohlbein, RN;
Yuwei Zhu, MD, MS
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002;156:986-991.
Background High attack rates of Influenzavirus among school-aged
children tend to be expected to cause significant disruption of usual activities
at school and at home.
Objective To quantify the effect of influenza season on illness episodes, school
absenteeism, medication use, parental absenteeism from work, and the occurrence
of secondary illness in families among a cohort of children enrolled in an
elementary school during the 2000-2001 influenza season.
Design Prospective survey study.
Setting Kindergarten through eighth grade elementary school in Seattle, Wash.
Patients or Other Participants All children enrolled in the school were eligible for the study. Study
participants were 313 children in 216 families.
Main Outcome Measures The primary outcome measure was missed school days. Secondary outcomes
measures included total illness episodes, febrile illness episodes, medication
usage, physician visits, parental workdays missed, and secondary illnesses
among family members of children in the study cohort. Differences between
the rates of study events among participants when influenza was circulating
and the event rates during the winter season when influenza was not circulating
were used to calculate influenza-attributable excess events.
Results Total illness episodes, febrile illness episodes, analgesic use, school
absenteeism, parental industrial absenteeism, and secondary illness among
family members were significantly higher during influenza season compared
with the noninfluenza winter season. For every 100 children followed up for
this influenza season, which included 37 school days, an excess 28 illness
episodes and 63 missed school days occurred. Similarly, for every 100 children
followed up, influenza accounted for an estimated 20 days of work missed by
the parents and 22 secondary illness episodes among family members.
Conclusion Influenza season has significant adverse effects on the quality of life
of school-aged children and their families.
From the Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of
Medicine (Dr Neuzil) and the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System
(Dr Neuzil and Ms Hohlbein), Seattle; and the Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt
University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tenn (Dr Zhu).
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