Table 2. Mean Days Absent per Year Across Student- and School-Level Demographic and Fitness-Change Characteristics in New York City Public Middle School Students (N = 349,381)a, 2006–2007 Through 2012–2013.
| Characteristic | Student-Levelb, Mean (SD) | School-Levelc, Mean (SD) |
|---|---|---|
| Sex | ||
| Male | 11.0 (11.7) | 11.2 (11.5) |
| Female | 10.1 (11.0) | 10.4 (10.8) |
| Race/ethnicity | ||
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 5.5 (7.7) | 6.4 (8.3) |
| Hispanic | 12.6 (12.9) | 13.3 (13.2) |
| Non-Hispanic black | 12.3 (13.1) | 12.8 (13.3) |
| Non-Hispanic white | 10.0 (9.7) | 10.7 (10.2) |
| Language spoken at home | ||
| English | 11.9 (12.1) | 12.0 (11.9) |
| Spanish | 10.9 (11.1) | 11.0 (10.9) |
| Other language | 6.0 (7.4) | 6.5 (7.5) |
| Place of birth | ||
| United States | 11.3 (12.1) | 11.7 (11.5) |
| Foreign country | 11.1 (13.8) | 8.1 (8.8) |
| Change in fitness (all years)d | ||
| >20% Increase | 10.3 (11.2) | 11.0 (11.6) |
| 10%–20% Increase | 10.3 (11.3) | 10.8 (11.5) |
| <10% Change | 10.7 (11.9) | 11.8 (12.6) |
| 10%–20% Decrease | 11.1 (12.2) | 11.6 (12.4) |
| >20% Decrease | 11.9 (12.8) | 12.7 (13.2) |
| Gradee | ||
| Grade 6 | 10.2 (11.0) | 10.8 (11.1) |
| Grade 7 | 10.9 (12.5) | 11.2 (12.2) |
| Grade 8 | 13.1 (14.5) | 13.1 (13.6) |
| School-area povertyf | ||
| Low poverty | 8.5 (9.2) | 8.9 (9.3) |
| Medium poverty | 9.5 (10.3) | 9.8 (10.2) |
| High poverty | 11.1 (11.7) | 11.4 (11.6) |
| Very high poverty | 13.1 (13.3) | 13.1 (12.9) |
| School size | ||
| Small schools (<400 students) | 12.0 (12.3) | 11.8 (11.9) |
| Non-small schools (≥400 students) | 10.3 (11.1) | 11.8 (11.0) |
N for missing place of birth = 72; N for missing area poverty = 7; N for missing or having >1 race/ethnicity = 177.
Student-level columns do not account for school clustering.
School-level columns account for school clustering.
Based on change in change in fitness composite percentile scores based on Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) Push-up and Curl-up Fitnessgram tests from the year prior.
Students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades contributed 177,281, 220,769, and 186,135 student-years, respectively.
Based on percentage of households in the school zip code living below the federal poverty threshold (low [<10%], medium [10%–20%], high [>20%–30%], and very high [>30%] area poverty) drawing from the American Community Survey 2007–2012 (27).