NEW research published in the BMJ has debunked the naughty or nice dichotomy as irrelevant in Santa Claus's confering of rewards.
Paediatric wards in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales were surveyed revealing that rates of absenteeism, conviction rates in young people (aged 10-17 years) and distance from the North Pole as the reindeer flies, were not able to demonstrate any correlation with visits by Santa to hospitals.
The odds of Santa not visiting were found to be significantly higher for wards in areas of higher socioeconomic deprivation - odds ratio 1.31 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.71).
Researchers from Boston, London, Edinburgh and Sheffield concluded that there was no validity in "the traditional belief that Santa Claus rewards children based on how nice or naughty they have been in the previous year".
"Santa Claus is less likely to visit children in hospitals in the most deprived areas," they wrote.
"Potential solutions include a review of Santa's contract or employment of local Santas in poorly represented regions."
Visit www.bmj.com for the study.
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