Socioeconomic outcomes beyond 30 years of age in a cohort born with very low birth weight

Aim As survival of infants born prematurely has increased dramatically, questions on long-term consequences have emerged. Our aim was to investigate long-term effects of very low birth weight on socioeconomic outcomes. Methods One hundred and fifty very low birth weight infants (VLBW) born from 1980 to 1982 at Rigshospitalet, Denmark, who had previously been followed up at age 2, 4 and 18 years, were compared to cohorts of low birth weight, normal birth weight (NBW) and a national population-based reference cohort. From the Danish national registers we obtained data regarding educational level, financial independence and living arrangements. In addition, we used the previously published results from the three cohorts. Results The VLBW cohort had lower intelligence quotient and higher risk of significant school difficulties evaluated at age 4 and 18 years. When compared to the NBW cohort, at 30-36 years of age the VLBW cohort tended to have lower educational level, OR 1.7, 95% CI 0.8-3.9, were not financially independent OR 1.5, 95% CI 0.6-3.7, lived alone OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.0-3.8 and had higher rates of the combination of all three outcomes, OR 3.2, 95% CI 0.7-15.8. Conclusions We found trends towards poor socioeconomic outcomes in young adults born with VLBW. The relative disadvantages appeared smaller than that in childhood.

Automated summary

The study shows that very low birth weight has negative effects on the socioeconomic outcomes of young adults, although the relative disadvantages are smaller compared to childhood.