Although previous literature in the United States has been
mixed [6e8], more recent studies have identified an association
between childhood chronic health conditions and poorer
educational attainment [9,10]. For example, Maslow et al. found
that young adults with chronic health conditions were significantly
less likely to graduate high school and gain employment
compared with their healthy peers [9]. Haas and Fosse suggested
that the association between chronic health conditions and
educational attainment may be mediated by academic and psychosocial
variables (i.e., school absences, class achievement,
feeling safe at school, and cognition) after adjusting for demographic
variables [11]. Both studies assessed educational
attainment with students who had completed a high school
diploma or GED. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of
Youthd1997, Haas and Fosse used a measure of educational
attainment that was based on “timely completion” to account for
their young sample.