PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Barnes, Claire
AU  - Ashton, James John
AU  - Borca, Florina
AU  - Cullen, Mick
AU  - Walker, Dawn-Marie
AU  - Beattie, Robert Mark
TI  - Children and young people with inflammatory bowel disease attend less school than their healthy peers
AID  - 10.1136/archdischild-2019-317765
DP  - 2020 Jul 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood
PG  - 671--676
VI  - 105
IP  - 7
4099  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/105/7/671.short
4100  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/105/7/671.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child2020 Jul 01; 105
AB  - Objective Chronic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), can impact negatively on education and social development. Examining the impact of IBD on school/college attendance for children and young people (CYP) is vital to provide targeted support to patients, families and schools.Methods We performed a cross-sectional survey to determine the school/college attendance rates, the reasons for absence related to IBD and facilitators or barriers to school/college attendance. In a subset of patients followed up locally, we performed a detailed review of hospital attendance data to assess healthcare burden.Results Two hundred and thirty-one questionnaires were given to CYP with IBD aged 5–17 years. Response rate was 74% (final sample 169). The median school/college attendance rate was 92.5%, significantly lower than all children in England (95.2%). 39.6% of children with IBD were persistently absent, defined nationally as missing 10% or more of school. Only five children (3%) had a 100% attendance record. Increasing age and use of monoclonal therapy were predictors of poor school attendance. Concerns about feeling unwell at school/college, access to toilets, keeping up with work and teachers’ understanding of IBD are the main issues for CYP with IBD. There was a significant negative correlation between number of days in hospital and school attendance.Conclusion IBD has a significant impact on school/college attendance, with hospital attendance, disease burden and school difficulties being major factors. Employing strategies to minimise healthcare burden and developing a partnership between health and education to support children with IBD will serve to facilitate school/college attendance.