Background: Of all newborns, 1%-2% are born very preterm (VP; <32 weeks) or with very low birthweight (VLBW; ≤1500 g). Advances in prenatal and neonatal care have substantially improved their survival, and the first generations who have benefited from these advances are now entering middle age. While most lead healthy lives, on average these adults … Read more
Common Core Assessments in follow-up studies of adults born preterm – Recommendation of the Adults Born Preterm International Collaboration
Physical Activity, Mental Health, and Well‐Being in Very Pre‐Term and Term Born Adolescents: An Individual Participant Data Meta‐Analysis of Two Accelerometry Studies
This study looks at whether physical activity is associated with better mental health and well‐being among very preterm (≤32 weeks) and term born (≥37 weeks) adolescents alike or whether the associations are stronger in either of the groups. It finds that those young people in the study who exercised more had fewer problems with their … Read more
The Interplay between Maternal Smoking and Genes in Offspring Birth Weight
This paper looks at the relationships between genes, smoking, and birth weight. It finds that each additional daily cigarette smoked during pregnancy reduces birthweight by between 20 and 40 grams, regardless of the childs’s genetic predisposition. The researchers used information from a sample of 5000 mother-baby pairs in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and … Read more
Association of Preterm Birth and Low Birth Weight With Romantic Partnership, Sexual Intercourse, and Parenthood in Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
This systematic review and analysis of existing research suggests that adults born preterm or with low birth weight are less likely than adults born full-term to experience a romantic partnership, sexual intercourse, or to become parents. However, preterm birth or low birth weight does not seem to impair the quality of relationships with partners and … Read more
Is Social Inequality in Cognitive Outcomes Increased by Preterm Birth–Related Complications?
Dieter Wolke writes in an editorial about the relationship between maternal socioeconomic status and children’s cognitive outcomes among preterm children. He re-emphasizes what was emphasized already 40 years ago – the need to study the effect of family, social, and caretaking as risk factors in developmental outcomes among children born at high neonatal risk.