title: School performance at age 7 years in late preterm and early term birth: a cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of gestational age, particularly late preterm birth (34-36 weeks gestation) and early term birth (37-38 weeks gestation) on school performance at age 7 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based prospective UK Millennium Cohort Study, consisting of linked educational data on 6031 children.
  
  
  METHODS
  School performance was investigated using the statutory Key Stage 1 (KS1) teacher assessments performed in the third school year in England. The primary outcome was not achieving the expected level (≥level 2) of general performance in all three key subjects (reading, writing and mathematics). Other outcomes investigated subject-specific performance and high academic performance (level 3).
  
  
  RESULTS
  18% of full-term children performed below the expected KS1 general level, and risk of poor performance increased with prematurity: compared to children born at full-term, there was a statistically significant increased risk of poor performance in those born very preterm (<32 weeks gestation, adjusted RR 1.78, 95% CI 1.24 to 2.54), moderately preterm (32-33 weeks gestation, adjusted RR 1.71, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.54) and late preterm (34-36 weeks gestation, adjusted RR 1.36, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.68). Early term children performed statistically significantly worse in 4 out of 5 individual subject domains than full-term children, but not in the primary outcome (adjusted RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.23).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Late preterm, and to a lesser extent, early term birth negatively impact on academic outcomes at 7 years as measured by KS1 assessments.
authors: National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors: Evelyn
authors: E
authors: Chan
authors: National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors: Maria A
authors: MA
authors: Quigley
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods; D004522:Educational Status; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000523:psychology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012923:Social Class
keywords: Epidemiology; Neonatology; Neurodevelopment; preterm