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Why do students absent?

Organization(s):Skola Za Medicinske Sestre Vrapce
Country:Croatia
Student(s):Sara Gorički, Anita Duran, Tin Kuzmanović, Estera Opačak
Grade Level:Secondary School (grades 9-12, ages 14-18)
GLOBE Teacher:Marinela Labas
Contributors:Dubravka Rasol, scientist from National hydro meteorologic institute
Report Type(s):International Virtual Science Symposium Report
Protocols:Air Temperature, Barometric Pressure, Relative Humidity
Presentation Poster: View Document
Optional Badges:I am a Collaborator, I make an Impact, I work with a STEM Professional
Language(s):
Date Submitted:02/21/2018
Vrapce at Times Square
We investigated students absence reasons to find out are the numbers of absence connected with meteorological changes, quality of sleep and students obligations. Influenza, colds and inflammatory processes of the respiratory or digestive system respond to damp and warm closed areas.. The pressure and the relative humidity of the air values cause fatigue, dizziness, lower concentration, headache, poorer mood and change in blood pressure values as well. Such symptoms, just as well as stress, and reduced sleep quality reduce the activity of the immune system so the organism becomes more sensitive. We assumed that a greater number of absences will be recorded in: 1.) periods of warming (conditions favorable to the reproduction of microorganisms), 2.) months with a larger number of days with a decrease in air pressure (5 hPa) and relative humidity (5%) values, 3.) months with the highest reported number of flu cases We processed, compared, and analyzed collected data using Microsoft Excel and then displayed graphically. Just hypothesis about the relation to the relative humidity values failed. Key words: absence numbers and reasons, meteorological changes, sleeping quality, obligations


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Comments

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Hameed Lebbai
6 Years Ago
Good work.Well attempted conclusion.

What other factors(non weather parameters) you think you will measure to understand the absenteeism?
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Marinela Labas Hameed Lebbai
6 Years Ago - Edited
Thank you very much for the comment and question.
For more further research maybe we can measure students diet and physical activities. In that case our hypothesis will be that students with better diet (more fruit and vegetables and less fried, greasy fast food) and more active ones (three times per week for more than half hour) are less absent.
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Mullica Jaroensutasinee
6 Years Ago
This project is well-written and has nice ways of testing hypotheses. I really enjoyed reading your report. It is very interesting to see a nice association between decreasing in temperature by 3 deg C and the number of student absence. It is a good idea to use GLOBE at night and sleeping patterns to explore on student absence.
I would like to ask these following questions.
1. How do you come up with 3 deg C temperature as a critical temperature?
2. Have you done some literature review on the temperature and flu incidences? If yes, it would be nice to cite the references on this to support your findings.
Keep up your great works!
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Marinela Labas Mullica Jaroensutasinee
6 Years Ago
Thank you very much for review and questions.
Our answers are:
1. We assumed that one and two degrees are normal differences that occur daily but we expected for three degrees to be more significant change that will affect living organisms. We assumed that more students will absent in months with worm difference (more days with +3C) but the result was opposite, more student absent in months with cold difference (more days with -3C). At the end we concluded that the reason is not the influence of temperature on microorganisms but the change in behavior of humans (spending more time in closed areas which provide easy transfer of viruses and bacteria).
2. We didn't search for connection between air temperature and flu incidences but now it sounds like a good question. We only reviewed the data about reported cases of flu from Croatian National Institute of Public Health.
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Mullica Jaroensutasinee Marinela Labas
6 Years Ago
Wow, It is interesting to hear that decreasing in temp would cause people to stay inside and close proximity increasing in flu spreading. Nice work.