title: Presenteeism Attitudes and Behavior Among Missouri Kindergarten to Twelfth Grade (K-12) School Nurses.
abstract: Working while ill (presenteeism) with symptoms of influenza-like illness can contribute to outbreaks, but little is known about school nurse presenteeism. Missouri Association of School Nurses members (N = 396) were sent a survey in 2013/2014. A chi square test was conducted to compare having a school culture that encourages presenteeism versus actual sick leave policies. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to delineate factors associated with presenteeism. In total, 133 school nurses participated (33.6% response rate). Almost half (42.1%, n = 56) reported presenteeism. Nurses were more likely to feel pressure to engage in presenteeism than reported punitive sick leave policies (14.3% vs. 3.8%, χ2= 18.3, p < .001). Presenteeism was associated with perceived pressure, odds ratio (OR) = 4.8, confidence interval (CI) = [1.5, 15.8], p < .01, and having a mild illness, OR = 3.6, CI = [1.4, 9.7], p = .01. Many school nurses engage in presenteeism, and this appears to be associated with organizational cultural norms rather than established sick leave policies.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biosecurity, Saint Louis University, College for Public Health & Social Justice, St. Louis, MO, USA rebmannt@slu.edu.|Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Saint Louis University, College for Public Health & Social Justice, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Terri
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rebmann
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biosecurity, Saint Louis University, College for Public Health & Social Justice, St. Louis, MO, USA.|Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapeutics, Edward and Margaret Doisy College of Health Sciences, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: James Austin
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biosecurity, Saint Louis University, College for Public Health & Social Justice, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Allison K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Kunerth
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008923:Missouri; D009726:Nurses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000069597:Presenteeism / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012573:School Nursing; D017132:Workplace
keywords: infectious disease; outbreaks; public health; school nursing; seasonal influenza; vaccine