A complete list of members of the Europop Group may be found on page 1169Objective To describe the risk factors for very pretenn births and to compare the strengths of the associDesign A case-control study. Setting Fifteen European countries.Methods Between 1994 and 1997, 1675 very preterm births, 3652 moderate preterm births and an unmatched control group of 7965 births at term were included. Odds ratios for very and moderate preterm births (related to socioeconomic status, behavioural factors, maternal age, body mass index and obstetric history) were estimated and compared using polytomous logistic regression.Results Underprivileged social situation, older maternal age and adverse previous pregnancy outcomes were significantly related to very and moderate preterm births. However, these factors were more strongly associated with very preterm births than with moderate preterm births, for both spontaneous and induced deliveries. Smoking during pregnancy, young maternal age and low body mass index were significantly related to very and moderate spontaneous preterm births, but no significant difference in odds ratios was observed between the two outcomes. ConclusionThese results suggest that risk factors for very and moderate preterm births are similar, but the strength of the associations differ, especially for social factors and obstetric history.ations between these risk factors and very and moderate preterm births.

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ObjectivesTo develop research priorities on the consequences of very preterm (VPT) birth for the RECAP Preterm platform which brings together data from 23 European VPT birth cohorts.Design and settingThis study used a two-round modified Delphi consensus process. Round 1 was based on 28 research themes related to childhood outcomes (<12 years) derived from consultations with cohort researchers. An external panel of multidisciplinary stakeholders then ranked their top 10 themes and provided comments. In round 2, panel members provided feedback on rankings and on new themes suggested in round 1.ResultsOf 71 individuals contacted, 64 (90%) participated as panel members comprising obstetricians, neonatologists, nurses, general and specialist paediatricians, psychologists, physiotherapists, parents, adults born preterm, policy makers and epidemiologists from 17 countries. All 28 initial themes were ranked in the top 10 by at least six panel members. Highest ranking themes were: education (73% of panel members' top 10 choices); care and outcomes of extremely preterm births, including ethical decisions (63%); growth and nutrition (60%); emotional well-being and social inclusion (55%); parental stress (55%) and impact of social circumstances on outcomes (52%). Highest ranking themes were robust across panel members classified by background. 15 new themes had at least 6 top 10 endorsements in round 2.ConclusionsThis study elicited a broad range of research priorities on the consequences of VPT birth, with good consensus on highest ranks between stakeholder groups. Several highly ranked themes focused on the socioemotional needs of children and parents, which have been less studied.

Aim We investigated the timing of survival differences and effects on morbidity for foetuses alive at maternal admission to hospital delivered at 22 to 26 weeks’ gestational age (GA). Methods Data from the EXPRESS (Sweden, 2004–07), EPICure‐2 (England, 2006) and EPIPAGE‐2 (France, 2011) cohorts were harmonised. Survival, stratified by GA, was analysed to 112 days using Kaplan‐Meier analyses and Cox regression adjusted for population and pregnancy characteristics; neonatal morbidities, survival to discharge and follow‐up and outcomes at 2–3 years of age were compared. Results Among 769 EXPRESS, 2310 EPICure‐2 and 1359 EPIPAGE‐2 foetuses, 112‐day survival was, respectively, 28.2%, 10.8% and 0.5% at 22–23 weeks’ GA; 68.5%, 40.0% and 23.6% at 24 weeks; 80.5%, 64.8% and 56.9% at 25 weeks; and 86.6%, 77.1% and 74.4% at 26 weeks. Deaths were most marked in EPIPAGE‐2 before 1 day at 22–23 and 24 weeks GA. At 25 weeks, survival varied before 28 days; differences at 26 weeks were minimal. Cox analyses were consistent with the Kaplan‐Meier analyses. Variations in morbidities were not clearly associated with survival. Conclusion Differences in survival and morbidity outcomes for extremely preterm births are evident despite adjustment for background characteristics. No clear relationship was identified between early mortality and later patterns of morbidity.