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Early school attainment in late-preterm infants
Philip J Peacock1, John Henderson, David Odd
1School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Oakfield House, Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK. phil.peacock@bristol.ac.uk
Insights
Infants born late-preterm (32-36 weeks) show poorer early school performance compared to full-term infants. This highlights a need for increased monitoring of these children to prevent educational difficulties.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal health
- Educational psychology
- Public health
Background:
- Late-preterm birth (32-36 weeks gestation) is increasingly common.
- The long-term developmental outcomes for late-preterm infants require further investigation.
- Understanding educational attainment differences is crucial for early intervention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if late-preterm infants have lower school attainment compared to term-born infants.
- To analyze the impact of late-preterm birth on Key Stage 1 (KS1) assessments.
- To identify potential educational vulnerabilities in late-preterm children.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).
- Employed logistic regression models to assess the association between gestation (late-preterm vs. term) and KS1 assessment success.
- Adjusted for confounders including maternal education and socioeconomic status.
Main Results:
- Late-preterm children (734) had lower success rates (71%) in KS1 assessments compared to term infants (12,089, 79%).
- The association between late-preterm birth and reduced academic success remained significant after adjusting for confounders (OR 0.74, p=0.007).
- A statistically significant difference in early school assessment success was observed.
Conclusions:
- Children born late-preterm are at a higher risk for poorer early school assessment outcomes.
- Late-preterm infants represent a vulnerable group requiring targeted educational surveillance.
- Early identification of educational challenges is essential for this population to mitigate potential failure.
Aim:
To investigate whether infants born late-preterm have poorer school attainment compared to those born at term.
Methods:
This study used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Key stage one (KS1) school assessment results were obtained from local education authorities. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the effect of gestation, that is, late-preterm (32-36 weeks) versus term (37-41 weeks), on success in KS1 teacher assessments. Regression models were adjusted for potential confounders, including maternal education and markers of socioeconomic status.
Results:
There were 12 089 term infants and 734 late-preterm infants. 71% of late-preterm children were successful in KS1 assessments compared to 79% of those born at term (OR 0.64 (95% CI 0.53 to 0.78); p<0.001). This difference persisted on adjusting for potential confounders (OR 0.74 (95% CI 0.59 to 0.92); p=0.007).
Conclusions:
Children born late-preterm are less likely to be successful in early school assessments than those born at term. This group of vulnerable children warrants closer surveillance for early identification of potential educational failure.
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