Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 4, 2025
A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
Published on: January 12, 2018
Economic costs and health utility values associated with extremely preterm birth: Evidence from the EPICure2 cohort
Felix Achana1,2, Samantha Johnson3, Yanyan Ni4,5
1Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Background:
Preterm birth is associated with adverse health and developmental sequelae that impose a burden on finite resources and significant challenges for individuals, families and societies.
Objectives:
To estimate economic outcomes at age 11 associated with extremely preterm birth using evidence from a whole population study (EPICure2 study).
Methods:
The study population comprised a sample of children born at ≤26 completed weeks of gestation during 2006 in England (n = 200) and a comparison group of classmates born at term (n = 143). Societal costs were estimated using parent and teacher reports of service utilisation, and valuations of work losses and additional care costs to families. Utility scores for the Health Utilities Index Mark 2 (HUI2) and Mark 3 (HUI3) were generated using UK and Canadian value sets. Generalised linear regression was used to estimate the impact of extremely preterm birth on societal costs and utility scores.
Results:
Unadjusted mean societal costs that excluded provision of special educational support in mainstream schools during the 11th year after birth were £6536 for the extremely preterm group and £3275 for their classmates, generating a difference of £3262 (95% confidence interval [CI] £1912, £5543). The mean adjusted cost difference was £2916 (95% CI £1609, £4224), including special educational needs provision in mainstream schools increased the adjusted cost difference to £4772 (95% CI £3166, £6378). Compared with birth at term, extremely preterm birth generated mean-adjusted utility decrements ranging from 0.13 (95% CI 0.09, 0.18) based on the UK HUI2 statistical inference tariff to 0.28 (95% CI 0.18, 0.37) based on the Canadian HUI3 tariff.
Conclusions:
The adverse economic impact of extremely preterm birth persists into late childhood. Further longitudinal studies conducted from multiple perspectives are needed to understand the magnitude, trajectory and underpinning mechanisms of economic outcomes following extremely preterm birth.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
01:52Regression Toward the Mean
01:29Bias in Epidemiological Studies
01:20Study Designs in Epidemiology
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and...