This study was conducted to determine the selected factors which affected teacher use of short term sick leave in Iowa public school districts from 1980 through 1989. The selected factors were grouped into two categories, wellness programs and administrative procedures;The seven selected factors in the wellness category include exercise programs, incentives, medical screening, nutrition programs, lifestyle management programs, fitness assessment, and a wellness newsletter. The six selected factors in the administrative procedure category include teachers calling their supervisor when ill, attendance as part of evaluation, district policy on teacher attendance, attendance monitoring systems, incentives for positive attendance, and positive feedback on teacher attenDance;;As a related aspect of this study, several other factors were analyzed to determine any influence on teacher use of sick leave. These factors included the size of district, the health insurance carrier, and a rebate given to the school district by the health insurance carrier;Four hundred thirty-one questionnaires were distributed to superintendents and wellness coordinators in Iowa public schools. The questionnaires were intended to determine use of wellness activities, administrative procedures, and the number of short term teacher sick days used in each district. The short term sick days were calculated by subtracting from the total district teacher sick days all teacher sick days of 30 or more consecutive days accumulated for any teacher(s);Analyses of the data indicate that only those districts which offered lifestyle management programs affected the use of short term teacher sick leave. This study was unable to identify a significant relationship between any of the other factors and teacher use of short term sick leave.