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Table 2. Summary of Research Findings Linking Chronic Conditions and Academic PerformanceImpact of chronic conditions on school performanceGroupConditionPerformance ConsequencesNumber ofStudiesRiskModifierStrength of EvidenceChronic AdverseConditionsPreventable bySchool-basedInterventionsMeasuresImpact typeOverweight-Obesity Reading (-) 1 LMath (-) 1 LSchool/grade completion (-) 1 CSConsider being good student (-) 1 CSDiabetes School attendance (-) 4 CCGPA (-) 2 1 CP, 1 CSReading (-/0/+) 6/1/1 5 CC, 1 CS/CC/CCMathematics (-/0/+) 2/1/1 CC/CC/CCComprehension (-) 1 CCLanguages * (-) 2 CCHumanities (-) 1 CCScience (-) 1 CCKnowledge overall (-) 1 CCCore total score (-/+) 1/1 CS/CCLearning abilities (-/0) 1/1 CC/CCSuccessful grade completion (-) 2 CCRemedial/resource room inst. use (-) 2 CCAsthma School attendance (-) 8 4 CS, 4 CCReading (-/0) 1/2 CS/CS, CCMathematics (0) 2 1 CS, 1 CCLanguage (0) 1 CCAcademic achievement score (0) 1 CCSchool marks/GPA (0) 2 CS, CCLearning abilities (-) 1 CSSuccessful grade completion (-/0) Income CS/CSSelf-evaluation (-) 1 CCDepression School attendance (-) 3 no info, national survey-CS, RSGPA (-) 4 L, no info, R, CSSuccessful grade completion (-) 1 LHomework completion time (-) 1 no infoAcademic disengagement (-) 1 short-term two wave LPhysical inactivityAchievement Test (SAT-9) (-) 1 State-CSGPA (-) 1 CS & small numbersMathematics (-) 1 State-CSAcademic performance (general) (-)(SE) 3 Review, CS, CSUndernourished Academic performance (-) 2 no-info, CSProblem solving (-) 2 no info* written language, English, language arts. CS, cross-sectional; CC, case-control; L, longitudinal; CP, cohort prospective; R, retrospective; SE, some effect.Note: Impact on academic performance is caused either by specific conditions, factors or their respective complications. Results do not reflect gender differentiation.Review of the prevalence data presented in Table 1 suggests that overweight is by far the chronichealth problem affecting the largest number of children, followed by asthma. Type 1 diabetes affectsfewer children, but the prevalence of type 2 diabetes appears to be increasing. There is suggestive butinconclusive evidence that the increase is related to the prevalence of being overweight. Accordingly,public investment in programs for the prevention or management of overweight and asthma can bejustified on the grounds that they affect the largest number of children and their families. Nevertheless,the evidence for the impact of these two conditions on academic performance is less conclusive. Fromthe earlier discussion summarized in Table 2, we find that asthma appears to affect absenteeism, but onlyaffects the academic performance of children from poorer households. In the case of overweight, theE-16