Table 1. Characteristics and quality of included studies.

Study	Gest weeks	Design	Steroid type	Primary outcomes	Adjusted variables	Quality of study NOS#
						Selection	Comparability	Outcome
Carlo 2011	22–25	Pros.	Beta or Dexa	Mortality and neurodevelopmental impairment at 18–22 months	Maternal age, hypertension or preeclampsia, rupture of membranes >24 hrs and delivery mode, multiple births, neonatal gender, and centre.	****	**	***
Hayes 2008	23	Retro.	Beta or Dexa	Neonatal mortality	Maternal age, race, plurality, antibiotic administration at delivery, route of delivery, and neonatal gender and birth weight.	****	**	***
Manktelow 2009	23–32	Pros.	Beta or Dexa	Neonatal mortality	Not adjusted	****	*	***
Mori 2011	22–33	Retro.	Beta or Dexa	Respiratory distress, Mortality, CLD, IVH and NEC.	Maternal age, parity, multiplicity, GDM, hypertension, PROM, mode of and place of delivery, neonatal gender, birth weight.	****	*	***
Guinsburg 2016	23–33+6	Pros.	Not mentioned	Unfavourable neonatal outcome	Maternal and neonatal morbidity variables	****	**	***
Bajwa 2011	23–32	Pros.	Not mentioned	Neonatal mortality	Neonatal gender and growth restriction.	****	**	***
Guthrie¶ 2003	23–34	Retro.	HC or Dexa	NEC	Neonatal birth weight, Apgar score at 5 minutes, caesarean delivery, exposure to indomethacin	****	**	***
Bader¶ 2010	23–26	Pros.	Not mentioned	Neonatal mortality	Maternal ethnicity, infertility treatment, plurality, hypertensive disorders amnionitis, neonatal birth weight and gender.	****	**	***

#NOS: New castle Ottawa scale.

*: The number of stars indicate score as per NOS.

^¶Data from Park et al.

Pros- Prospective, Retro- Retrospective, Beta- Betamethasone, Dexa- Dexamethasone, HC- Hydrocortisone- Chronic lung disease, NEC- Necrotising enterocolitis, IVH- Intraventricular Haemorrhage, PVL- Periventricular Leukomalacia, GDM- Gestational diabetes mellitus, PROM- Prolonged rupture of membrane.