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Reports & Research Study Reveals Links between Poor Student Health and High School Dropout Rate A report released last week by the California Dropout Research Project (CDRP) describes the connections between health and high school dropouts, two top priorities of the Obama administration. The latest report synthesizes existing research, examining several aspects of how health affects dropouts, and highlights three distinct pathways in which both are connected. Childhood physical illness, childhood mental health problems and adolescent risk behaviors are the three pathways that link health and education. Physical illnesses and chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes can prevent a child from succeeding. Research reported in the February 17 issue of the Journal of American Medical Association found that 25 percent of children in the U.S. have chronic health conditions. Another study found that in 2005, children in California who suffered from asthma missed 1.9 million days of school. “Expanding access to medical care and providing disease management support are strategies that will help to improve educational performance,” said Russell Rumberger, Director of the California Dropout Research Project, located at UC Santa Barbara. “The report underscores the need for health care reform and demonstrates how it can help address America’s dropout crisis.” The report also looks at childhood mental health issues and adolescent risk behaviors as factors that contribute to the increased risk for high school dropouts. While not as commonly diagnosed as physical illnesses and chronic conditions, mental health issues affect almost one in five children and adolescents; as many as 80 percent of these children go untreated for their mental health problems. The report suggests that while more research is needed on the effectiveness of interventions and the development of policies for improving health and education, there are immediate strategies that can be pursued by schools and healthcare providers to address the issue. The report was written by Joshua Breslau, a medical anthropologist and psychiatric epidemiologist in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. For a complete analysis of the three pathways and recommendations for educators and healthcare providers, visit http://cdrp.ucsb.edu to view the report.
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