ERIC Number: ED616993
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021-May
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-3476
EISSN: N/A
Short-Term and Long-Term Educational Outcomes of Infants Born Moderately and Late Preterm
Townley Flores, Carrie; Gerstein, Amy; Phibbs, Ciaran S.; Sanders, Lee M.
Grantee Submission, The Journal of Pediatrics v232 p31-37 May 2021
Objective: To assess the relationship of moderate and late preterm birth (32[superscript 0/7]-36 [superscript 6/7] weeks) to long-term educational outcomes. Study Design: We hypothesized that moderate and late preterm birth would be associated with adverse out- comes in elementary school. To test this, we linked vital statistics patient discharge data from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development including birth outcomes, to the 2015-2016 school year administrative data of a large, urban school district (n = 72,316). We compared the relative risk of moderate and late preterm and term infants for later adverse neurocognitive and behavioral outcomes in kindergarten through the 12th grade. Results: After adjusting for socioeconomic status, compared with term birth, moderate and late preterm birth was associated with an increased risk of low performance in mathematics and English language arts, chronic absenteeism, and suspension. These risks emerged in kindergarten through grade 2 and remained in grades 3-5, but seemed to wash out in later grades, with the exception of suspension, which remained through grades 9-12. Conclusions: Confirming our hypothesis, moderate and late preterm birth was associated with adverse educational outcomes in late elementary school, indicating that it is a significant risk factor that school districts could leverage when targeting early intervention. Future studies will need to test these relations in geographically and socioeconomically diverse school districts, include a wider variety of outcomes, and consider how early interventions moderate associations between birth outcomes and educational outcomes.
Descriptors: Correlation, Premature Infants, Outcomes of Education, Elementary School Students, Urban Schools, Patients, School Districts, Comparative Analysis, Risk, Socioeconomic Status, English, Language Arts, Birth, Infants, Low Achievement, Mathematics Achievement, Attendance, Suspension, Secondary School Students, Hypothesis Testing, Early Intervention, Records (Forms), Medical Evaluation, Longitudinal Studies
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305B140009