Table 1.
Demographic Characteristics at Birth and Use of Antenatal Steroids, Milk Fortification, and Probiotics in Guangdong (GD) NICUs and in Other Units Around the World (Non-GD).
| Hospital | FOS | SWC | SNP | BWC | PWC | AUC | CHI | COP | AMS | NEW | PER | TAI | IBA | GD | Non-GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total included | 407 | 458 | 93 | 167 | 241 | 160 | 177 | 284 | 270 | 139 | 152 | 249 | 150 | 1366 | 1581 |
| Gestational age, weeks | 30.4 (2.1) | 30.3 (2.2) | 30.4 (2.0) | 29.7 (2.0) | 30.5 (2.1) | 29.0 (2.7) | 28.3 (2.5) | 28.0 (2.5) | 28.6 (2.2) | 28.4 (2.8) | 29.4 (2.5) | 29.9 (2.6) | 30.5 (2.4) | 30.3 (2.1) | 29.0 (2.6)* |
| Birth weight g | 1237 (184) | 1254 (177) | 1245 (219) | 1250 (183) | 1262 (172) | 1101 (262) | 1025 (252) | 990 (267) | 1070 (258) | 1043 (280) | 1127 (257) | 1165 (236) | 1223 (191) | 1250 (182) | 1086 (262)* |
| z-Score | −0.56 (0.99) | −0.44 (1.06) | −0.66 (0.90) | −0.20 (0.84) | −0.55 (1.05) | −0.32 (1.03) | −0.25 (0.94) | −0.31 (0.93) | −0.24 (0.95) | −0.34 (0.92) | −0.45 (0.9) | −0.56 (1.05) | −0.62 (1.24) | −0.48 (1.01) | −0.38 (1.00) |
| Birth length cm | 38 (4) | 39 (4) | 38 (3) | 39 (3) | 38 (3) | 37 (4) | 36 (3) | 36 (4) | 36 (3) | UNK | 37 (4) | 38 (3) | 38 (3) | 39 (3) | 37 (4)* |
| z-Score | −0.43 (1.48) | −0.02 (1.59) | −0.64 (1.18) | 0.06 (1.04) | −0.57 (1.45) | −0.12 (1.24) | −0.31 (1.08) | −0.2 (1.12) | −0.43 (1.18) | UNK | −0.23 (1.14) | −0.32 (1.30) | −0.51 (1.30) | −0.27 (1.47) | −0.30 (1.20) |
| Birth head circumference cm | 26.7 (1.9) | 27.1 (2.2) | 27.3 (1.8) | 27.0 (1.7) | 27.3 (1.8) | 26.3 (2.1) | 25.1 (2.1) | 25.3 (2.7) | 25.9 (2.4) | 25.6 (1.9) | 26.2 (2.4) | 26.3 (2.1) | 27.3 (1.8) | 27.0 (2.0) | 26.0 (2.3)* |
| z-Score | −0.63 (1.41) | −0.27 (1.62) | −0.33 (1.16) | −0.02 (1.08) | −0.27 (1.36) | 0.05 (1.06) | −0.33 (1.11) | −0.11 (0.98) | −0.02 (1.08) | −0.14 (1.06) | −0.29 (1.12) | −0.50 (1.23) | −0.21 (1.34) | −0.36 (1.44) | −0.20 (1.14) |
| Small for gestational age, n (%) | 84 (21) | 86 (19) | 24 (26) | 19 (11) | 52 (22) | 27 (17) | 28 (16) | 49 (17) | 40 (15) | 24 (17) | 28 (18) | 61 (24) | 40 (27) | 265 (19) | 297 (19) |
| Male, n (%) | 230 (57) | 231 (51) | 43 (46) | 108 (65) | 153 (63) | 80 (50) | 95 (54) | 130 (46) | 135 (50) | 71 (51) | 72 (47) | 116 (47) | 66 (44) | 765 (56) | 765 (48)* |
| Singleton, n (%) | 278 (69) | 270 (59) | 72 (78) | 124 (74) | 164 (68) | 115 (72) | 151 (85) | 165 (58) | 204 (76) | 29 (73) | 116 (76) | 170 (68) | 82 (55) | 908 (67) | 1032 (70) |
| Caesarean section, n (%) | 251 (62) | 312 (68) | 62 (67) | 65 (39) | 142 (59) | 104 (65) | 117 (66) | 193 (68) | 154 (57) | 71 (52) | 99 (65) | 178 (71) | 66 (44) | 832 (61) | 982 (62) |
| Any steroids, n (%) | 155 (38) | 106 (70) | 74 (80) | 85 (52) | 92 (38) | 157 (98) | 164 (93) | 203 (88) | 235 (87) | 131 (94) | 141 (93) | 193 (78) | 47 (31) | 512 (49) | 1271 (83)* |
| Complete steroids, n (%) | 82 (20) | 75 (50) | 52 (57) | 37 (22) | 65 (27) | 119 (74) | 124 (70) | 170 (73) | 154 (57) | 97 (70) | 118 (78) | 155 (62) | 28 (19) | 311 (30) | 965 (63)* |
| Human milk fortifier n (%) | 0 (0) | 167 (37) | 22 (24) | 0 (0) | 8 (3) | 138 (86) | 135 (76) | 163 (57) | 187 (69) | UNKa | 140 (92) | 197 (79) | 0 (0) | 197 (14) | 960 (67)* |
| Day of life | — | 24 (8) | 23 (8) | — | 22 (8) | 10 (7) | 20(9) | 21(9) | 12(5) | UNKa | 11(5) | 15(9) | — | 24 (8) | 15 (8)* |
| Probiotics, n (%) | 67 (17) | 38 (11) | 0 (0) | 79 (47) | 78 (33) | 106 (67) | 0 (0) | 227 (81) | 0 (0) | 34 (81) | 109 (72) | 43 (17) | 0 (0) | 262 (21) | 515 (35)* |
| Observation period,b days | 35 (18) | 40 (17) | 32 (16) | 42 (18) | 37 (18) | 38 (26) | 58 (20) | 46 (27) | 30 (23) | 45 (28) | 46 (22) | 49 (18) | 23 (12) | 38 (18) | 42 (25)* |
Data are presented as mean (SD) unless otherwise stated.
AMS, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Emma Children’s Hospital; AUC, Newborn Service, National Women’s Health, Auckland; BWC, Shenzhen Bao’an Maternal and Child Health Hospital; CHI, Rush University Children’s, Hospital, Chicago; COP, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen; FOS, Foshan Woman and Children’s Hospital; GD, Guangdong province in China; IBA, University College Hospital, Ibadan; NEW, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; PER, Kang Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth; PWC, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital; SNP, Shenzhen Nanshan People’s Hospital; SWC, Shenzhen Maternity & Child Health Care Hospital; TAI, Children’s Hospital of China Medical University, Taichung; UNK, unknown.
Significant difference between GD and non-GD (P < .001).
Human milk fortifier was used, but exact data are missing.
Data were collected from <24 hours after birth to postconceptional age 37 weeks, or less if infants were transferred to a different (step-down) unit, discharged to home (including discharge on parental request), or died earlier.