premature infants are more susceptible to motor development , behavior and academic performance impairment when compared to term infants .
OBJECTIVES to examine and synthesize the available knowledge in the literature about the effects of preterm birth on the development of school-age children .
Prevalence, Stability, and Predictors of Clinically Significant Behavior Problems in Low Birth Weight Children at 3, 5, and 8 Years of Age
Objectives . To examine the prevalence , stability , and predictors of clinical ly significant behavior problems in 869 preterm low birth weight ( LBW ) infants at 3 , 5 , and 8 years of age . Methods . A prospect i ve cohort study was conducted . Clinical ly significant behavior problems were assessed using dichotomized total problem Child Behavior Checklist scores in LBW children at ages 3 , 5 , and 8 years . Baseline sociodemographic and obstetric data were collected . Maternal General Health Question naire performed at 40 weeks ' gestation was dichotomized at a score of 12 to give a measure of maternal psychological distress . Prevalence and stability of behavior problems at ages 3 , 5 , and 8 were determined and potential predictors of behavior problems at age 3 , 5 , and 8 were examined using multiple logistic regression . Results . Prevalence of behavior problems remained at ∼20 % at 3 , 5 , and 8 years . Stability of behavior problems between different ages was ∼50 % . Significant behavior problems at ages 3 , 5 , and 8 were predicted by maternal psychological distress at 40 weeks ( odds ratio [ OR ] : 1.59 ; 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] : 1.21–2.09 ) , maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy ( OR : 1.57 ; 95 % CI : 1.20–2.04 ) , Hispanic ethnicity ( OR : 2.00 ; 95 % CI : 1.24–3.24 ) , and maternal age ( OR : 0.97 ; 95 % CI : 0.94–0.99 ) . Conclusions . This sample had double the prevalence of behavior problems expected in the general child population . These problems showed stability over time . Cigarette smoking in pregnancy , maternal psychological distress at 40 weeks ' gestation , maternal age , and Hispanic ethnicity all were significant predictors of the development of behavior problems from ages 3 to 8 . These findings have implication s for health policies on smoking and postnatal depression
premature infants are more susceptible to motor development , behavior and academic performance impairment when compared to term infants .
OBJECTIVES to examine and synthesize the available knowledge in the literature about the effects of preterm birth on the development of school-age children .