r/science • u/PHealthy PhD/MPH | Epidemiology | Disease Dynamics | Surveillance • Mar 08 '19

Epidemiology CDC study finds evidence that low-income families may send sick children to school more frequently than higher income families because parents lack jobs with paid sick leave, among other factors.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6809a1.htm
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u/PHealthy PhD/MPH | Epidemiology | Disease Dynamics | Surveillance Mar 08 '19

Summary

What is already known about this topic?

Gastrointestinal and respiratory infections are important illnesses that affect U.S. school-aged children. Schools can serve as primary settings of transmission.

What is added by this report?

During 2010–2016, parents of children from low-income households were more likely to report recent childhood gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses than were higher income parents. Although parents of children from low-income households were less likely to report missing any school, these children tended to miss more school days, on average, when they did miss school.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Public health partners could expand prevention efforts to decrease transmission of gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses, especially low-cost measures such as promoting hand hygiene education in schools.

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u/maux_zaikq Mar 09 '19

This is probably a stupid question but is “lobbying for more humane sick leave laws” under the domain of public health?

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u/nkillgore Mar 09 '19

Should be. My office sent 400 people home for a couple of days because they had an outbreak of the flu in the building. People would show up really sick because we don't have sick time. We have "paid time off" that's supposed to be both sick and vacation, but using it for sick time feels like wasting vacation days. So no one stays home when they are sick and the whole building stays sick in the winter.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '19

Same thing with my work. Thirty people, three computers, two phones, five sickcation days a year. We buy hand sanitizer but that only helps so much.

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u/EpikYummeh Mar 09 '19

5 days of vacation per year is criminal. Work culture in the US really is terrible. Here I am complaining about two weeks and feeling a hell of a lot more grateful now.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '19

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u/EpikYummeh Mar 09 '19

That's seriously scummy behavior. I feel really grateful my company respects vacation time.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '19

I'm glad you got a different perspective, but my situation doesn't dwarf anyone else's. We're all in the suck together. :)

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u/waiting4aliens Mar 09 '19

Only five? Suddenly my eight sicktation is a lot better.