Lower academic performance and dropout rates among University students with children: a prospective cohort study of nursing students in Bogotá, Colombia.

Objectives: To determine the association between parenthood and academic performance and dropout among professional Nursing degree program students.

Methods: A prospective cohort was conducted. 310 students were included, 26 parents (exposed) and 284 nonparents (unexposed), who were followed up during 16 weeks. At the end of this follow-up, student records were reviewed.

Results: Academic performance in the exposed and unexposed groups was 3.51/5.0 and 3.64/5.0 respectively. Although it was higher in the latter group, i.e., with a difference of 0.13, the values were not statistically significant (p=0.058). After adjusting for confounding variables, a difference of -0.165 point was seen (p=0.037). The risk of students dropping out of college is 34 % less for exposed compared to those who are unexposed (RR: 0.66; CI: 0.075-5.78; p=0.708).

Conclusion: The results suggest that parenthood has a modest impact on the academic performance, and has no impact on the risk of dropping out.