Gestational Age and Birth Weight in Relation to School Performance of 10-Year-Old Children: A Follow-up Study of Children Born After 32 Completed Weeks

Kirkegaard, Ida; Obel, Carsten; Hedegaard, Morten; Henriksen, Tine Brink

doi:10.1542/peds.2005-2700

Cited by 169 publications

(134 citation statements)

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“…The causes underlying early term birth in this population (including whether early deliveries were performed on an elective basis) are unknown. However, other recent population-based studies also indicate a negative impact on cognition from birth at 37 to 38 weeks relative to later birth in Denmark, 7 Belarus, 22 Switzerland, 24 and Scotland, 23 suggesting that the effect reported here may indeed be robust.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

“…The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development recently classified infants born from 34 to 36 weeks' gestation as "late preterm," 21 signaling an awareness that these infants are at increased risk for a number of developmental outcomes, including lower IQ, 1,2 developmental delay, 3,4 deficits in visuospatial and executive function skills, 5 reading difficulties, 6,7 behavioral disorders, 8 attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, 9 and even mental retardation 3,8 and cerebral palsy. 3,8 Surprisingly, far less is known about the degree to which earlier gestational age confers risk among infants born at term, from 37 to 41 weeks' gestation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3,8 Surprisingly, far less is known about the degree to which earlier gestational age confers risk among infants born at term, from 37 to 41 weeks' gestation. 7,[22][23][24] The brain continues to grow rapidly during this time, with a nearly 50% increase in cortical gray matter, 10 a nearly threefold increase in myelinated white matter, 10 and increasing neuronal and gyral differentiation. 11 Further, among term infants born from 37 to 41 weeks, later gestational age is associated with greater gray matter density in middle childhood in bilateral superior and middle temporal gyri, and the left parietal lobe.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently it has been recognized that even late preterm infants, born from 34 to 36 weeks' gestation, are at risk for adverse developmental outcomes. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Less clear, however, is the degree to which developmental risk varies with gestational age among infants born "at term," between 37 and 41 weeks' gestation. Brain development continues throughout gestation, including rapid growth in the final month of pregnancy.…”

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Academic Achievement Varies With Gestational Age Among Children Born at Term

2012

PEDIATRICS

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WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Late preterm infants are at risk for a variety of developmental impairments; however, little is known about developmental differences among children born within the term range of 37 to 41 weeks' gestation. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:This study links comprehensive birth record data from 128 050 term births to children' s school records 8 years later. Analyses establish that, even among the "normal term" range, gestational age is an important independent predictor of academic achievement.abstract OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine the degree to which children born within the "normal term" range of 37 to 41 weeks' gestation vary in terms of school achievement.METHODS: This study analyzed data from 128 050 singleton births born between 37 and 41 weeks' gestation in a large US city. Data were extracted from city birth records to assess a number of obstetric, social, and economic variables, at both the individual and community levels. Birth data were then matched with public school records of standardized city-wide third-grade reading and math tests. Specifically, we assessed (1) whether children born within the normal term range of 37 to 41 weeks' gestation show differences in reading and/or math ability 8 years later as a function of gestational age, and (2) the degree to which a wide range of individual-and community-level social and biological factors mediate this effect.RESULTS: Analyses revealed that gestational age within the normal term range was significantly and positively related to reading and math scores in third grade, with achievement scores for children born at 37 and 38 weeks significantly lower than those for children born at 39, 40, or 41 weeks. This effect was independent of birth weight, as well as a number of other obstetric, social, and economic factors. CONCLUSIONS:Earlier normal term birth may be a characteristic considered by researchers, clinicians, and parents to help identify children who may be at risk for poorer school performance. Pediatrics 2012;130:e257-e264 AUTHORS:

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Academic Achievement Varies With Gestational Age Among Children Born at Term

2012

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“…However, as a subpopulation of newborns, those mild degree premature infants are still at a higher risk for cognitive deficit and learning disabilities compared with full term counterparts and account for 70% of prematurity-associated developmental deficit that burdens not only the individual and family but also the community they live in. 6,7 Since 1970s in the United States, there have been governmental and non-governmental activities to counteract this problem by campaigning to improve the rate of prenatal care for pregnant women, installing the Prematurity Prevention Committee by the Institute of Medicine, inaugurating the NIH Prematurity Prevention Research Meeting, and authorizing reimbursement for prenatal care by Medicaid (a national insurance program). However, the impact of these activities in the real world is yet to be seen.…”

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confidence: 99%

Lowering the Premature Birth Rate: What the U.S. Experience Means for Japan

Noguchi

2008

Keio J. Med.

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While the survival rate of premature infants has been improving remarkably in the past few decades thanks to the progress in maternal fetal medicine and neonatology, premature birth and low birth weight (LBW) still is a significant issue associated with higher mortality and morbidity compared with that of full term newborns. Moreover, a challenge is the increasing rate of premature and LBW births in developed countries, 1, 4 including Japan where the premature birth rate rose from 4.2 % to 5.6% and LBW rate rose from 5.6 to 9. 4% between 1980 and 2004. 5 LBW is defined as birth weight <2500 g and includes many premature and all the small for gestation infants. Since birth weight is often the most accurate and readily available parameter, LBW is used instead of prematurity in many retrospective reports. The infant mortality rate (IMR) is three times and 50-75 times greater for 32-36 week and less than 32 week gestational age infants respectively compared with that for term infants. Among the survivors, morbidity is likewise greater, the less mature they are. Relatively mild premature infants Abstract: Premature birth rate and low birth weight rate are increasing in industrialized countries including USA and Japan. The Infant mortality rate (IMR) is three times and 50-75 times greater for infants born at 32-36 weeks and <32 weeks respectively than term-born counterparts. In the U.S., the IMR is greater than in Japan particularly among black infants and simply the "lower socioeconomic class" is not the answer. Premature birth is heterogeneous in origin and idiopathic in 70% of the cases. Increased utilization of assisted reproductive technology only accounts for a part of the recent trend. Evidence suggests environmental factors play a significant role, and genetic-environmental interaction is plausible. A chronic psychosocial stress of pregnant women has been postulated to be modifying the endocrine milieu thereby influencing pregnancy outcomes. In a preliminary observation in St. Louis, homeless pregnant women with high behavioral and social risks, when accommodated in a shelter home designed for these women, produced significantly less numbers of premature and low birth weight infants as compared with the general population. Furthermore, in a randomized controlled study in Washington DC, psychobehavioral intervention specifically targeting smoking (primary and secondary), intimate partner violence (IPV), and depression among black pregnant women significantly decreased the rate of miscarriage and low birth weight. These reports may have significant implication to the Japanese situation. Increasing number of Japanese women at reproductive age are exposed to smoking, may have underling psychosocial stress and may suffer from subclinical depression and/or from IPV. Detailed epidemiological studies of women before and during the reproductive age with regard to risk factors can lead to an effective intervention strategy against premature birth in Japan. (Keio J Med 57 (1) : 45 -49, March 2008)

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