Prevalence of truancy in a national sample of school going adolescents in Laos is associated with potential risk and protective factors

School truancy among adolescents can negatively impact academic achievements. The study aimed to investigate the prevalence and sociodemographic, externalizing, internalizing and protective factors associated with school truancy in a national sample of school-going adolescents in Laos. The sample included 3683 adolescents (median age 16 years, interquartile range = 2) who responded to the cross-sectional "Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS)" in Laos in 2015. Overall, 40.7% of the middle-school students reported truancy in the past 30 days. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, five externalizing behaviours (current alcohol use, lifetime amphetamine use, having been in a physical fight, was bullied and having been physically attacked) were associated with school truancy. High internalizing behaviour increased the odds for school truancy. Regarding protective factors, peer support and high parental or guardian supervision decreased the odds for school truancy. The study found a very high proportion of school truancy in Laos, calling for urgent interventions incorporating identified risk factors.