Neonatal intensive care and late preterm infants: Health and family functioning at three years

• Published in: Early human development Vol. 90; no. 4; pp. 201 - 205
• Main Authors: McGowan, Jennifer E, Alderdice, Fiona A, Boylan, Jackie, Holmes, Valerie A, Jenkins, John, Craig, Stanley, Perra, Oliver, Johnston, Linda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.04.2014
• Subjects: Adult; Advanced Basic Science; Case-Control Studies; Early childhood; Family - psychology; Female; Follow-up; Follow-Up Studies; Health service usage; Health status; Health Status Indicators; Humans; Impact on family; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature - growth & development; Infant, Premature - psychology; Intensive Care, Neonatal; Late preterm infants; Male; Neonatal admission; Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine; Self Report; general practitioner; Early childhood; LPI; HSQ; late preterm infant; NIC; GP; Impact on family; Late preterm infants; Follow-up; Health service usage; Health status; Health Status Questionnaire; neonatal intensive care; Neonatal admission
• ISSN: 0378-3782; 1872-6232
• DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2014.01.002

Abstract Background Late preterm infants (LPIs), born at 34 + 0 to 36 + 6 weeks of gestation contribute a significant proportion of all neonatal intensive care (NIC) admissions and are regarded as being at risk of adverse outcomes compared to term-born infants. Aim To explore the health outcomes and family functioning of LPIs who required neonatal intensive care, at three years of age. Study design and subjects This cohort study included 225 children born late preterm, between 1 January and 31 December 2006 in Northern Ireland. Children admitted for NIC (study group, n = 103) were compared with children who did not require NIC or who required special care only for up to three days (comparison group, n = 122). Outcome measures Health outcomes were measured using the Health Status Questionnaire, health service usage by parent report and family functioning using the PedsQL™ Family Impact Module. Results LPIs who required NIC revealed similar health outcomes at three years in comparison to those who did not. Despite this, more parents of LPIs who required NIC reported visiting their GP and medical specialists during their child's third year of life. Differences in family functioning were also observed with mothers of LPIs who required NIC reporting, significantly lower levels of social and physical functioning, increased difficulties with communication and increased levels of worry. Conclusions LPIs were observed to have similar health outcomes at three years of age regardless of NIC requirement. The increase in GP and medical specialist visits and family functioning difficulties observed among those infants who required NIC merits further investigation.