Birth outcomes between 22 and 26 weeks' gestation in national population-based cohorts from Sweden, England and France

Aim: We investigated the timing of survival differences and effects on morbidity for foetuses alive at maternal admission to hospital delivered at 22 to 26 weeks’ gestational age (GA). Methods: Data from the EXPRESS (Sweden, 2004–07), EPICure-2 (England, 2006) and EPIPAGE-2 (France, 2011) cohorts were harmonised. Survival, stratified by GA, was...

Strategies for assessing the impact of loss to follow-up on estimates of neurodevelopmental impairment in a very preterm cohort at 2 years of age

Background: Loss to follow-up is a major challenge for very preterm (VPT) cohorts; attrition is associated with social disadvantage and parents with impaired children may participate less in research. We investigated the impact of loss to follow-up on the estimated prevalence of neurodevelopmental impairment in a VPT cohort using different...

Maternal education and cognitive development in 15 European very-preterm birth cohorts from the RECAP Preterm platform

Background: Studies are sparse and inconclusive about the association between maternal education and cognitive development among children born very preterm (VPT). Although this association is well established in the general population, questions remain about its magnitude among children born VPT whose risks of medical and developmental...

Variations in very preterm births rates in 30 high-income countries: Are valid international comparisons possible using routine data?

OBJECTIVE: Concerns about differences in registration practices across countries have limited the use of routine data for international very preterm birth (VPT) rate comparisons. DESIGN: Population-based study. SETTING: Twenty-seven European countries, the United States, Canada and Japan in 2010. POPULATION: A total of 9 376 252 singleton births...

Profiling the preterm or VLBW born adolescent; implications of the Dutch POPS cohort follow-up studies

In 1983, data of a unique nationwide cohort of 1338 very preterm (< 32 weeks of gestation) or VLBW (birth weight < 1500 g) infants in the Netherlands was collected and followed at several ages until they reached the age of 19 years. At 19 years of age a more extensive follow-up study was done, including questionnaires, tests on a computer and a...

Reproductive outcomes of women and men born very preterm and/or with a very low birth weight in 1983: A longitudinal cohort study in the Netherlands

The aims of this study were to analyze reproductive outcomes of women and men born very preterm (gestational age <32 weeks) or with a very low birth weight (<1500 g) in 1983 in the Netherlands and to compare their reproductive outcomes with the total population at a similar age of 28 years. Young adults who were born after a pregnancy...

Preterm birth time trends in Europe: A study of 19 countries

Objective To investigate time trends in preterm birth in Europe by multiplicity, gestational age, and onset of delivery. Design Analysis of aggregate data from routine sources. Setting Nineteen European countries. Population Live births in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. Methods Annual risk ratios of preterm birth in each country were estimated with...

Air pollution exposure during pregnancy, ultrasound measures of fetal growth, and adverse birth outcomes: A prospective cohort study

Background: Air pollution exposure during pregnancy might have trimester-specific effects on fetal growth. Objective: We prospectively evaluated the associations of maternal air pollution exposure with fetal growth characteristics and adverse birth outcomes in 7,772 subjects in the Netherlands. Methods: Particulate matter with an aerodynamic...

Preterm birth, early growth and adult metabolic health

Children born small-for-gestational-age (SGA) are at risk for short stature, and cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in later life. There is some preliminary evidence for a similar phenotype in survivors of preterm birth. In contrast to children born SGA, preterm infants born appropriate-for-gestational-age who experienced neonatal growth...

Changes can be studied when the measurement instrument is different at different time points

Indicators of fetal and infant health outcomes

Objective: To assess the ability of the member states of the European Union to produce the indicators recommended by the PERISTAT project on perinatal health indicators and to provide an overview of fetal and infant health outcomes for these countries according to the information now available. Methods: We used data from the PERISTAT survey of...

Development and psychometric evaluation of the TAPQOL: A health-related quality of life instrument for 1-5-year-old children

The 43-item TNO-AZL Preschool Children Quality of Life (TAPQOL) questionnaire was developed to meet the need for a reliable and valid instrument for measuring parent's perceptions of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in preschool children. HRQoL was defined as health status in 12 domains weighted by the impact of the health status problems...

Social class, ethnicity and other risk factors for small for gestational age and preterm delivery in the Netherlands

Social class and ethnicity are important risk factors for small-for-gestational-age and preterm delivery in many countries. This study was performed to assess whether this is also the case in the Netherlands, a country with a high level of social security, relatively small income differences and easy access to medical care for all its...