Using machine learning to examine the relationship between asthma and absenteeism

Environ Monit Assess. 2019 Jun 28;191(Suppl 2):332. doi: 10.1007/s10661-019-7423-2.

Abstract

In this study, we found that machine learning was able to effectively estimate student learning outcomes geo-spatially across all the campuses in a large, urban, independent school district. The machine learning showed that key factors in estimating the student learning outcomes included the number of days students were absent from school. In turn, one of the most important factors in estimating the number of days a student was absent was whether or not the student had asthma. This highlights the importance of environmental public health for student learning outcomes.

Keywords: Absenteeism; Asthma; Environmental & Public Health; Learning outcomes; Machine learning.

MeSH terms

  • Absenteeism*
  • Academic Success
  • Adolescent
  • Asthma / epidemiology*
  • Child
  • Environmental Health / methods*
  • Environmental Health / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Machine Learning*
  • Male
  • Schools
  • Students
  • Texas / epidemiology