Asthma management in schools

A tool for reducing absenteeism

Bibliographic Data

ID21506475
AuthorsMaria Fitzpatrick (0000-0001-5341-1629, Cornell University, corresponding author), Katharine Sadowski (0000-0003-4966-9680, Stanford University), C H Chen (Cornell University), Chelsea Chen, Sophia E Day (0000-0003-1885-5907), Sophia Day (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene), Kevin Konty (0000-0002-7156-7034, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene), Kira Argenio (0000-0001-8272-2565, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene)
Year2026
Volume113
Pages102813
Publication date2026-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEconomics of Education Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0272-7757 • E-ISSN: 1873-7382
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.econedurev.2026.102813
OpenAlexW7167788374
LanguageEN
References cited14

Asthma is a leading chronic condition among school-aged children and a major driver of absenteeism. Since attendance is linked to academic success, graduation, and earnings, interventions reducing asthma-related absences may improve educational trajectories. We evaluate a program that placed asthma case managers in New York City public schools to engage directly with students and families. Using novel linked health-education data and a triple-differences design exploiting staggered rollout and asthma targeting, we find significant gains in school-based asthma management: absenteeism among children with asthma fell by 5%, narrowing the asthma/no-asthma gap by 20%, and active asthma prescriptions rose by nearly 10%. These results show that school-embedded supports can improve children’s health while also boosting educational outcomes

Absenteeism · Asthma · Asthma management · Attendance · Medical prescription · Psychological intervention · Asthma and respiratory diseases · School Health and Nursing Education · Youth Substance Use and School Attendance

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