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Table 1 Baseline characteristics of students

From: Absenteeism among medical and health science undergraduate students at Hawassa University, Ethiopia

Socio-demographic variables

Number of students who never missed class per semester (%)

Number of students who had missed class 1 to 3 times per semester (%)

Number of students who had missed class 4 times and above per semester (%)

Total

Sex

Male

248 (25.8)

376 (39.2)

336 (35.0)

960 (78.8%)

Female

51 (19.7)

107 (41.3)

101 (39.0)

259 (21.2%)

Where they grew up

Urban area

137 (20.1)

247 (36.2)

299 (43.8)

683 (57.7%)

Rural area

150 (29.9)

220 (43.9)

131 (26.1)

501 (42.3%)

Religion

Orthodox

174 (24.6)

280 (39.5)

254 (35.9)

708 (58.4%)

Protestant

88 (27.4)

127 (39.6)

106 (33.0)

321 (26.4%)

Muslim

23 (16.9)

60 (44.1)

53 (39.0)

136 (11.2%)

Other

9 (18.8)

16 (33.3)

23 (47.9)

48 (4%)

High school

Public school

263 (27.6)

389 (40.8)

301 (31.6)

953 (79.1%)

Private school

24 (10.6)

87 (38.3)

116 (51.1)

227 (18.8%)

Missionary school

6 (23.1)

3 (11.5)

17 (65.4)

26 (2.2%)

University entrance examination score range

Excellent

42 (17.4)

89 (36.8)

111 (45.9)

242 (21.5%)

Very good

140 (26.6)

215 (40.8)

172 (32.6)

527 (47%)

Good

83 (25.9)

141 (43.9)

97 (30.2)

321 (28.5%)

Fair

6 (27.3)

8 (36.4)

8 (36.4)

22 (2%)

Poor

3 (25.0)

2 (16.7)

7 (58.3)

12 (1%)

Students mother education level

No education

112 (27.3)

181 (44.0)

118 (28.7)

411 (34.4%)

Primary

90 (27.2)

130 (39.3)

111 (33.5)

331 (27.7%)

Secondary

44 (22.0)

75 (37.5)

81 (40.5)

200 (16.7%)

Diploma

24 (15.8)

50 (32.9)

78 (51.3)

152 (12.6%)

Degree

21 (20.6)

40 (39.2)

41 (40.2)

102 (8.5%)

Student’s father education level

No education

82 (27.2)

132 (43.9)

87 (28.9)

301 (25.2%)

Primary

84 (28.7)

121 (41.3)

88 (30.0)

293 (24.5%)

Secondary

44 (23.0)

83 (43.5)

64 (33.5)

191 (16%)

Diploma

35 (20.3)

59 (34.3)

78 (45.3)

172 (14.3%)

Degree

45 (18.8)

86 (36.0)

108 (45.2)

239 (20%)

Current residence

In the university’s dormitory

271 (24.2)

452 (40.3)

398 (35.5)

1121 (92.6%)

Outside the campus at rental house

19 (33.9)

21 (37.5)

16 (28.6)

56 (4.6%)

Outside the campus with family

7 (21.2)

9 (27.3)

17 (51.5)

33 (2.7%)

Money they get monthly from family or relatives

Less than 100 birr

36 (31.6)

49 (43.0)

29 (25.4)

114 (9.6%)

100-200 birr

56 (25.9)

104 (48.1)

56 (25.9)

216 (18.1%)

200-300 birr

80 (29.6)

105 (38.9)

85 (31.5)

270 (22.6%)

300-500 birr

96 (23.2)

164 (39.7)

153 (37.1)

413 (34.6%)

More than 500 birr

26 (14.4)

56 (31.1)

98 (54.4)

180 (15.1%)

Place to have meal

At the university’s cafeteria (cafe)

258 (26.6)

391 (40.3)

321 (33.1)

970 (80.4%)

Non-café

38 (16.1)

89 (37.7)

109 (46.2)

236 (19.6%)

Field of study

Medicine

41 (9.6)

131 (30.8)

253 (59.5)

425 (35.1%)

Nursing

58 (30.7)

90 (47.6)

41 (21.7)

189 (15.7%)

Midwifery

38 (31.4)

55 (45.5)

28 (23.1)

121 (10%)

Medical laboratory technology

36 (37.5)

39 (40.6)

21 (21.9)

96 (8%)

Health officer

97 (34.6)

117 (41.8)

66 (23.6)

280 (23.2%)

Optometry

15 (24.2)

30 (48.4)

17 (27.4)

62 (5.1%)

Environmental

11 (31.4)

20 (57.1)

4 (11.4)

35 (2.9%)

Joined the field of study as per choice

Yes

202 (23.5)

334 (38.8)

325 (37.7)

861 (70.5%)

No

96 (27.4)

149 (42.5)

106 (30.2)

351 (29.5%)

Like their field of study

Yes

229 (25.3)

363 (40.1)

313 (34.6)

905 (75%)

No

67 (22.1)

118 (38.9)

118 (38.9)

303 (25%)

Year of study

1st year

51 (37.2)

70 (51.1)

16 (11.7)

137 (11.3%)

2nd year

86 (24.1)

167 (46.8)

104 (29.1)

357 (29.4%)

3rd year

66 (23.2)

111 (38.9)

108 (37.9)

285 (23.4%)

4th year

83 (23.6)

109 (31.1)

159 (45.3)

351 (28.9%)

5th year

13 (14.9)

26 (29.9)

48 (55.2)

87 (7.2%)

Social drug use

Khat

13 (19.4)

25 (37.3)

29 (43.3)

67 (5.7%)

Cigarette

5 (26.3)

3 (15.8)

11 (57.9)

19 (1.6%)

Shisha

2 (15.4)

0 (0.0)

11 (84.6)

13 (1.1%)

Alcohol

11 (23.9)

19 (41.3)

16 (34.8)

46 (3.9%)

Marijuana/hashish

1 (8.3)

2 (16.7)

9 (75.0)

12 (1%)

 

Never used

256 (25.4)

420 (41.6)

333 (33.0)

1009 (86.5%)