tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Emerg Infect Dis
. 2025 Dec;31(14):11-19.
doi: 10.3201/eid3114.251035.
Functional Limitations and Illness-Related Absenteeism among School-Aged Children with and without Long COVID, United States, 2022-2023
Nicole D Ford, Regina M Simeone, Caroline Pratt, Sharon Saydah
We examined functional limitations and illness-related chronic absenteeism (i.e., missing >18 days of school for health reasons) in a cross-sectional nationally representative sample of 11,057 US children 5-17 years of age who ever or never had long COVID (i.e., symptoms lasting >3 months after COVID-19 illness). Among 4,587 children with prior COVID-19, we estimated whether long COVID was associated with increased illness-related chronic absenteeism by using logistic regression. Our analysis showed that ≈1.4% of school-aged children had long COVID at some point. Among children with prior COVID-19, those who had long COVID at some point more frequently reported functional limitations, such as difficulty with memory, than those who did not have long COVID (18.3% vs. 8.6%). Having long COVID was associated with higher odds of illness-related chronic absenteeism. Children who had long COVID could experience functional limitations and absenteeism. School accommodations might be an option to improve functional limitations.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS; SARS-CoV-2; United States; absenteeism; children; coronavirus; coronavirus disease; disability; functional limitations; long COVID; pediatric; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viruses.
. 2025 Dec;31(14):11-19.
doi: 10.3201/eid3114.251035.
Functional Limitations and Illness-Related Absenteeism among School-Aged Children with and without Long COVID, United States, 2022-2023
Nicole D Ford, Regina M Simeone, Caroline Pratt, Sharon Saydah
- PMID: 41570188
- PMCID: PMC12829551
- DOI: 10.3201/eid3114.251035
We examined functional limitations and illness-related chronic absenteeism (i.e., missing >18 days of school for health reasons) in a cross-sectional nationally representative sample of 11,057 US children 5-17 years of age who ever or never had long COVID (i.e., symptoms lasting >3 months after COVID-19 illness). Among 4,587 children with prior COVID-19, we estimated whether long COVID was associated with increased illness-related chronic absenteeism by using logistic regression. Our analysis showed that ≈1.4% of school-aged children had long COVID at some point. Among children with prior COVID-19, those who had long COVID at some point more frequently reported functional limitations, such as difficulty with memory, than those who did not have long COVID (18.3% vs. 8.6%). Having long COVID was associated with higher odds of illness-related chronic absenteeism. Children who had long COVID could experience functional limitations and absenteeism. School accommodations might be an option to improve functional limitations.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS; SARS-CoV-2; United States; absenteeism; children; coronavirus; coronavirus disease; disability; functional limitations; long COVID; pediatric; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viruses.