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Impact of Particulate Matter Exposure and Surrounding “Greenness” on Chronic Absenteeism in Massachusetts Public Schools

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  • Piers MacNaughton

    (Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA)

  • Erika Eitland

    (Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA)

  • Itai Kloog

    (Department of Geography and Environmental Development, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva P.O.Box 653, Israel)

  • Joel Schwartz

    (Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA)

  • Joseph Allen

    (Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA)

Abstract

Chronic absenteeism is associated with poorer academic performance and higher attrition in kindergarten to 12th grade (K-12) schools. In prior research, students who were chronically absent generally had fewer employment opportunities and worse health after graduation. We examined the impact that environmental factors surrounding schools have on chronic absenteeism. We estimated the greenness (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)) and fine particulate matter air pollution (PM 2.5 ) within 250 m and 1000 m respectively of each public school in Massachusetts during the 2012–2013 academic year using satellite-based data. We modeled chronic absenteeism rates in the same year as a function of PM 2.5 and NDVI, controlling for race and household income. Among the 1772 public schools in Massachusetts, a 0.15 increase in NDVI during the academic year was associated with a 2.6% ( p value < 0.0001) reduction in chronic absenteeism rates, and a 1 μg/m 3 increase in PM 2.5 during the academic year was associated with a 1.58% ( p value < 0.0001) increase in chronic absenteeism rates. Based on these percentage changes in chronic absenteeism, a 0.15 increase in NDVI and 1 μg/m 3 increase in PM 2.5 correspond to 25,837 fewer students and 15,852 more students chronically absent each year in Massachusetts respectively. These environmental impacts on absenteeism reinforce the need to protect green spaces and reduce air pollution around schools.

Suggested Citation

  • Piers MacNaughton & Erika Eitland & Itai Kloog & Joel Schwartz & Joseph Allen, 2017. "Impact of Particulate Matter Exposure and Surrounding “Greenness” on Chronic Absenteeism in Massachusetts Public Schools," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-11, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:2:p:207-:d:90890
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kirsten M. M. Beyer & Andrea Kaltenbach & Aniko Szabo & Sandra Bogar & F. Javier Nieto & Kristen M. Malecki, 2014. "Exposure to Neighborhood Green Space and Mental Health: Evidence from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-20, March.
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    1. Liadira Kusuma Widya & Chin-Yu Hsu & Hsiao-Yun Lee & Lalu Muhamad Jaelani & Shih-Chun Candice Lung & Huey-Jen Su & Chih-Da Wu, 2020. "Comparison of Spatial Modelling Approaches on PM 10 and NO 2 Concentration Variations: A Case Study in Surabaya City, Indonesia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-15, November.
    2. Matthew H. E. M. Browning & Alessandro Rigolon, 2019. "School Green Space and Its Impact on Academic Performance: A Systematic Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-22, February.
    3. Sera Kim & Honghyok Kim & Jong-Tae Lee, 2019. "Interactions between Ambient Air Particles and Greenness on Cause-specific Mortality in Seven Korean Metropolitan Cities, 2008–2016," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-10, May.

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