Table 1. Growth and infant and young adult characteristics of individuals born preterm at very low birth weight (<1500g).
| Participants of the 1st clinical visit 2004–2005* | Participants of the 2nd clinical visit 2007–2008* | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M (SD) | N | M (SD) | N | |
| Characteristics at birth | ||||
| Weight, kg | 1.1 (0.2) | 157 | 1.1 (0.2) | 104 |
| Length, cm | 37 (2.4) | 155 | 37 (2.5) | 102 |
| Head circumference, cm | 26 (2.0) | 155 | 26 (2.1) | 101 |
| SGA for weight: birth weight ≤-2 SD, n (%) | 51 (32) | 157 | 39 (38) | 104 |
| SGA for length: birth length ≤-2 SD, n (%) | 49 (32) | 155 | 30 (29) | 102 |
| SGA for head circumference: birth head circumference ≤-2 SD, n (%) | 35 (23) | 155 | 23 (23) | 101 |
| Extremely low birth weight: <1000 grams, n (%) | 47 (30) | 157 | 28 (27) | 104 |
| Gestational age, weeks | 29 (2.2) | 157 | 29 (2.4) | 104 |
| Very preterm: gestational age <32 weeks, n (%) | 139 (89) | 157 | 88 (85) | 104 |
| Extremely preterm: gestational age <28 weeks, n (%) | 40 (25) | 157 | 29 (28) | 104 |
| Mother reported smoking during pregnancy, yes, n (%) | 28 (19) | 147 | 16 (16) | 97 |
| Sex, male, n (%) | 66 (42) | 157 | 45 (43) | 104 |
| Neonatal complications and illnesses | ||||
| Duration of ventilator treatment, median days (25th to 75th percentile) | 4.5 (0 to 14) | 154 | 4.0 (0 to 15) | 101 |
| Septicemia, yes, n (%) | 12 (8) | 154 | 9 (9) | 101 |
| Bronchopulmonary dysplasia, yes, n (%) | 29 (19) | 152 | 25 (25) | 100 |
| Received indomethacin, yes, n (%) | 44 (28) | 155 | 33 (32) | 102 |
| Surgery due to patent ductus arteriosus, yes, n (%) | 8 (5) | 155 | 8 (8) | 102 |
| Blood exchange transfusion due to hyperbilirubinemia, yes, n (%) | 25 (16) | 155 | 15 (15) | 102 |
| Intraventricular hemorrhage, n (%) | 111 | 77 | ||
| none | 90 (81) | 65 (84) | ||
| grade I or II | 16 (14) | 9 (12) | ||
| grade III or IV | 5 (5) | 3 (4) | ||
| Characteristics at term | ||||
| Weight, kg | 2.5 (0.5) | 157 | 2.5 (0.5) | 104 |
| Length, cm | 46 (2.6) | 150 | 46 (2.7) | 101 |
| Head circumference, cm | 34 (1.9) | 149 | 34 (2.0) | 99 |
| Growth from birth to term | ||||
| Weight change, kg | 1.4 (0.4) | 157 | 1.4 (0.5) | 104 |
| Length change, cm | 9.0 (2.6) | 148 | 9.0 (2.9) | 99 |
| Head circumference change, cm | 7.6 (2.1) | 147 | 7.5 (2.2) | 96 |
| Characteristics at 12 months of corrected age | ||||
| Weight, kg | 8.5 (1.1) | 131 | 8.6 (1.1) | 87 |
| Length, cm | 73 (2.8) | 127 | 73 (2.8) | 84 |
| Head circumference, cm | 46 (1.4) | 98 | 46 (1.4) | 64 |
| Growth from term to 12 months of corrected age | ||||
| Weight change, kg | 6.0 (1.0) | 131 | 6.0 (1.0) | 87 |
| Length change, cm | 27 (2.7) | 120 | 27 (2.6) | 81 |
| Head circumference change, cm | 12 (1.5) | 93 | 12 (1.6) | 61 |
| Characteristics in adulthood | ||||
| Age during clinical visit, years | 22 (2.1) | 157 | 25 (2.2) | 104 |
| Higher education of a parent, n (%) | 157 | 104 | ||
| basic/primary or less | 17 (11) | 11 (11) | ||
| upper secondary | 34 (22) | 21 (20) | ||
| lower tertiary | 62 (39) | 39 (38) | ||
| upper tertiary | 44 (28) | 33 (32) | ||
| Mental health outcomes | ||||
| Adult Problem Questionnaire sum score | 38 (18) | 157 | ||
| Beck Depression Inventory sum score | 4.5 (5.4) | 157 | ||
| Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale sum score | 9.5 (7.5) | 157 | ||
| ASEBA Adult Self Report Total Problems T-score | 49 (10) | 104 | ||
| Internalizing Problems T-score | 52 (13) | 104 | ||
| Externalizing Problems T-score | 48 (9.7) | 104 | ||
Abbreviations: AGA—appropriate for gestational age; CA—age corrected for prematurity; cm—centimeters, kg—kilograms, M—mean; N—number of participants for whom data were available; n—number of participants; SD—standard deviation; SGA—small for gestational age
* 158 VLBW individuals in total had data available on growth in infancy and adult mental health (after excluding those with developmental disability), and were thus included in the study. 157 participants had mental health data available from the 1st visit, 104 had data available from the 2nd visit, and 103 had data available from both visits.