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Early childhood development of late-preterm infants: a systematic review

Jennifer E McGowan1, Fiona A Alderdice, Valerie A Holmes

  • 1School of Nursing and Midwifery Medical Biology Centre, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK.

Pediatrics
|June 1, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Late-preterm infants (LPIs) face higher risks for developmental and academic issues up to age seven. More research is needed to understand the long-term effects of late-preterm birth on child development.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal research
  • Developmental pediatrics
  • Public health

Background:

  • Late-preterm infants (born 34-36 weeks gestation) are increasingly recognized as a high-risk group.
  • Existing research has not systematically evaluated the early childhood development of these infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review and analyze literature on the early childhood development (ages 1-7 years) of late-preterm infants.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic literature review was conducted using 9 electronic databases from January 1980 to March 2010.
  • Included studies (10 total) were assessed for methodologic quality.
  • Data extraction focused on early childhood outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Late-preterm infants showed poorer outcomes in neurodevelopment, education, and physical growth compared to term-born infants.
  • Studies were heterogeneous, and no study used healthy, non-admitted LPIs as a control group.
  • Adverse outcomes were noted in neurodevelopmental disabilities, educational ability, early-intervention needs, medical disabilities, and physical growth.

Conclusions:

  • Late-preterm infants exhibit an increased risk for adverse developmental and academic outcomes through age seven.
  • The impact of neonatal admission on long-term outcomes for LPIs remains underexplored due to a lack of matched gestational age control groups.
  • Further longitudinal studies are essential to comprehensively assess early childhood development following late-preterm birth.
Abstract

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