The long-term consequences of preterm birth: what do teachers know?

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Educational Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Increasing numbers of children born preterm require specialized educational support.
• Existing knowledge gaps among education professionals may hinder effective support for preterm children.
• Understanding these gaps is crucial for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the knowledge and information needs of education professionals concerning children born preterm.
• To determine the preparedness of teachers and educational psychologists to support preterm children in schools.
• To identify specific areas where knowledge deficits exist.

Main Methods:

• A national survey was conducted involving 585 teachers and 212 educational psychologists.
• The Preterm Birth-Knowledge Scale (PB-KS) was used to evaluate knowledge of preterm birth outcomes.
• Data were analyzed to compare knowledge scores between groups and explore demographic influences.

Main Results:

• Teachers (mean 14.7) and educational psychologists (mean 17.1) scored significantly lower than neonatal clinicians (mean 26.0) on the PB-KS.
• Knowledge deficits were most pronounced regarding common adverse outcomes of preterm birth.
• Only 16% of teachers received preterm birth training, and over 90% desired more information.

Conclusions:

• Education professionals possess insufficient knowledge about the needs of preterm children, feeling ill-equipped for their support.
• This knowledge deficit represents a significant public health and educational concern, given teachers' primary role in long-term support.
• Targeted training and information dissemination are essential to improve educational outcomes for preterm children.