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Early term and late preterm birth are associated with poorer school performance at age 5 years: a cohort study

Maria A Quigley1, Gry Poulsen, Elaine Boyle

  • 1National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, UK. maria.quigley@npeu.ox.ac.uk

Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition
|January 5, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Children born at early term (37-38 weeks) and late preterm (34-36 weeks) have a higher risk of poorer school performance at age 5. This educational achievement gap persists even after accounting for other factors.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Educational Psychology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Gestational age at birth is a critical factor influencing child development.
  • Previous research indicates potential developmental differences in preterm infants.
  • Understanding early educational outcomes is vital for timely interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the school performance at age 5 years across different gestational age categories.
  • To assess educational achievement in children born full term versus early term, late preterm, moderately preterm, and very preterm.
  • To identify risks associated with non-full term births on early academic success.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the UK Millennium Cohort Study, a population-based cohort.
  • Included 7,650 children born in 2000-2001, assessed in 2006.
  • School performance measured by the Foundation Stage Profile (FSP) at the end of the first school year.

Main Results:

  • 51% of full-term infants did not reach a good level of overall achievement, increasing with prematurity (up to 66% in very preterm).
  • Early term and late preterm births showed an elevated risk of poorer achievement (aRR 1.05 and 1.12, respectively) compared to full term.
  • Similar negative effects were observed in mathematical, physical, and creative development assessments.

Conclusions:

  • Late preterm and early term births are linked to increased risks of poorer educational outcomes at age 5.
  • These findings highlight the importance of considering gestational age in early childhood development.
  • While risks exist, the effects of early/late preterm birth were smaller than other identified risk factors.
Abstract

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