Mental and physical health of out of school children in a South African township

Background Poor school attendance has negative consequences for the individual and society. We investigated physical and mental health correlates of school attendance amongst black children in Cape Town, South Africa. Methods We undertook a cross-sectional community study of children, aged 6-16 years, living in Khayehisha township. Multistage sampling produced a sample of 499 children. They, and/or their parents, were interviewed using a Xhosa translation of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version 2.3 (DISC-2.3). Prevalence of mental and physical health prob- lems of school attenders were compared with those of non-attenders. Results 23.6% of children were not attending school. Young children from unserviced areas were at particular risk. Male school attenders suffered higher levels of chronic illness than non-attenders. No differences in the prevalences of psychiatric disorders were found. Conclusions There is no significant excess of physical or mental health problems in out of school children. Poverty plays an important role in failure to attend school.