title: Growth after late-preterm birth and adult cognitive, academic, and mental health outcomes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Late-preterm birth (at 340⁄7-366⁄7wk gestation) increases the risk of early growth faltering, poorer neurocognitive functioning, and lower socio-economic attainment. Among early-preterm individuals, faster early growth benefits neurodevelopment, but it remains unknown whether these benefits extend to late-preterm individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 108 late-preterm individuals, we examined if weight, head, or length growth between birth, 5 and 20 months' corrected age, and 56 mo, predicted grade point average and special education in comprehensive school, or neurocognitive abilities and psychiatric diagnoses/symptoms at 24-26 y of age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For every 1 SD faster weight and head growth from birth to 5 mo, and head growth from 5 to 20 mo, participants had 0.19-0.41 SD units higher IQ, executive functioning score, and grade point average (95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.002-0.59 SD), and lower odds of special education (odds ratio (OR) = 0.49-0.59, 95% CIs 0.28-0.97), after adjusting for sex, gestational age, follow-up age, and parental education. Faster head growth from 20 to 56 mo was associated with less internalizing problems; otherwise we found no consistent associations with mental health outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Faster growth during the critical early period after late-preterm birth is associated with better adult neurocognitive functioning, but not consistently with mental health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.|Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.|National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sammallahti
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Kati
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heinonen
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Sture
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.|University BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Marius
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lahti
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.|School of Health Sciences, University of Tampere and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pirkola
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.|Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Jari
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lahti
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Anu-Katriina
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Pesonen
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Aulikki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lano
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wolke
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.|Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland.|Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.|Vasa Central Hospital, Vasa, Finland.
authors.forename: Johan G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.|National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Eero
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kajantie
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Katri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Raikkonen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D004519:Education, Special; D004522:Educational Status; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006257:Head / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000523:psychology*; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D016017:Odds Ratio; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015430:Weight Gain; D055815:Young Adult