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Child, Parent, and Contextual Correlates of School Readiness Among Children With Low Birth Weight

Genevieve G Guyol1, Erika G Cordova-Ramos1, Mei Elansary1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics (GG Guyol, EG Cordova-Ramos, and M Elansary), Boston Medical Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Mass.

Academic Pediatrics
|March 7, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Only 30% of US children with low birth weight (LBW) are ready for school. Factors like parental education and special health care needs impact readiness, while emotional support and limited screentime improve it.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Low birth weight (LBW) affects a significant number of children, potentially impacting their developmental trajectories.
  • School readiness is a critical determinant of future academic success and overall well-being.
  • Understanding factors influencing school readiness in LBW children is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of school readiness among US children with low birth weight (LBW).
  • To examine associations between school readiness and various medical, sociodemographic, community, parent, and parenting factors in LBW children.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 1421 children aged 3-5 years with birth weight <2500g from the National Survey of Children's Health (2016-2019).
  • Calculation of prevalence for overall and domain-specific school readiness (early learning, physical health/motor, social-emotional, self-regulation).
  • Logistic regression used to investigate associations between predictors and school readiness.

Main Results:

  • Thirty percent of LBW children were on-track for school readiness; domain-specific readiness varied from 45% (early learning) to 87% (physical health/motor).
  • Negative associations with school readiness included complex special health care needs, lower parental education, and early intervention/special education services.
  • Positive associations included parental emotional support and less than 1 hour of daily screentime.

Conclusions:

  • Less than one-third of US children with LBW achieve school readiness.
  • Interventions should focus on enhancing school readiness for this vulnerable population.
  • Identifying and supporting protective factors like parental emotional support is vital.
Abstract

Keywords:
low birth weightparentingschool readiness

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