DENVER, July 2 (AScribe Newswire) -- Suffering from migraine headaches as an adolescent leads to lower high school grades and decreases in the likelihood of graduating high school and the likelihood of attending college, according to Daniel Rees, economics professor at University of Colorado Denver, and Joseph Sabia, professor of public policy at American University's School of Public Affairs. These results were presented on Wednesday, July 1, at the 84th Annual Conference of the Western Economic Association International in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Professors Rees and Sabia analyzed data on sibling pairs from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Parental reports identified siblings raised in the same household with different migraine experiences. The authors discovered that suffering from migraine headaches was associated with a five percent reduction in high school GPA, a five percent reduction in the likelihood of graduating from high school, and a 15 percent reduction in the likelihood of attending college. Thirty to 40 percent of these reductions could be explained by excused absences from school, difficulty paying attention in class, and difficulty completing homework. Non-migraine headaches were not associated with reductions in academic performance.
"By focusing on differences between siblings, we can rule out the possibility that family-level factors such as socioeconomic status are driving the relationship between migraine headache and academic performance," said Rees.
Professors Rees and Sabia were able to examine the migraine experiences and high school grades of 214 siblings from 105 families. Information on high school completion and college attendance data was obtained from 280 siblings belonging to 137 families. By comparing the educational attainment of siblings, this study was able to account for the influence of a variety of difficult-to-measure factors such the quality of the home environment. It is the first study to examine the effect of suffering from migraine headaches as an adolescent on future academic achievement.
"We know that migraine headaches can profoundly impact quality of life. Our study offers evidence that they are an important obstacle to long-term academic success," said Sabia, whose research focuses on health economics. "Our results show that migraine sufferers have trouble attending school and have trouble concentrating on the days they do make it to school," Sabia added.
To access the study, please visit: http://econ.cudenver.edu/home/workingpapers/Rees_WP_09-07.pdf .
The University of Colorado Denver (http://www.ucdenver.edu/) is one of three campuses in the University of Colorado system. Located in Denver on the Downtown Campus and on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colo., UC Denver offers more than 100 degrees and programs in 13 schools and colleges and serves more than 28,000 students. For more information, visit the UC Denver Newsroom<http://ucdenver.edu/about/newsroom/Pages/Newsroom.aspx>.
American University (http://www.american.edu/) is a leader in global education, enrolling a diverse student body from throughout the United States and more than 140 countries. Located in Washington, D.C., the university provides opportunities for academic excellence, public service, and internships in the nation's capital and around the world.
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CONTACTS: Caitlin Jenney, UC Denver Media Relations, 303-315-6376, cell 303-328-5720, caitlin.jenney@ucdenver.edu
Maralee Csellar, American University Media Relations, 202-885-5952, csellar@american.edu
Media Contact: See above.
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