Health and Socioeconomic Factors in School Readiness and Achievement Among Children Born Very Preterm

Which early-life health and socioeconomic factors are associated with school readiness at age 5 years and educational attainment at age 6 to 7 years among children born very preterm?In this cohort study of 15 857 children born before gestational age 32 weeks, more than half did not meet expected levels of educational attainment at age 5 to 7 years. Low gestational age and social disadvantage showed dose-response associations with low attainment; neonatal brain injury, comorbidities of preterm birth, maternal smoking, lack of exposure to antenatal corticosteroids or exposure to postnatal corticosteroids, and breastfeeding were also associated with low attainment.These findings suggest that improving the educational outcomes of very preterm children may require measures that mitigate social disadvantage and address specific, modifiable, early-life medical risks.

Corresponding Author: James P. Boardman, PhD, Centre for Reproductive Health, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, 4-5 Little France Dr, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, United Kingdom (james.boardman@ed.ac.uk).

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