Measuring the proportion of and reasons for asthma-related school absence in England

Asthma affects 300 million people across all age-groups and ethnicities and is the most common chronic condition affecting children1, 2. In the UK, the health care costs associated with asthma are estimated at £1.1 billion, however this amount typically excludes some societal costs (e.g. absence from work to care for children)3. The total number of days missed from school in England in the 2017/18 academic year was 59.1 million of which 54.7% were due to illness4 although the reasons for those illness-related absences are unknown. Given the high proportion of children with asthma and the fact that school absences are associated with low levels of achievement6, the primary aim of this study was to measure the proportion of asthma-related absences in school children and describe the factors reported by parents that predispose their children to these school absences. The secondary aim was to explore parents’ and school staff views on extending an app currently used for reporting school absences to one that might also provide tailored interventions.