Young Adults Born Preterm Face Economic and Educational Challenges

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Preterm birth (PTB) is associated with lower economic and educational achievements in young adulthood, according to a study published online Nov. 6 in PLOS ONE.

Asma M. Ahmed, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and colleagues examined associations between PTB and individuals' income, employment, and educational outcomes during early adulthood. The analysis included 2.4 million live births in Canada between 1990 and 1996, with follow-up to age 18 years.

The researchers found that 7 percent were born preterm (0.3 percent extremely preterm [24 to 27 weeks], 0.6 percent very preterm [28 to 31 weeks], 0.8 percent moderately preterm [32 to 33 weeks], and 5.4 percent late preterm [34 to 36 weeks], respectively). Preterm-born individuals, on average, had $958 CAD less employment income per year (6 percent lower income per year) than term-born individuals and were 2.13 percent less likely to be employed after matching on baseline characteristics (e.g., sex, province of birth, and parental demographics) and adjusting for age and period effects. There was a negative association observed between PTB and university enrollment (relative risk [RR], 0.93) and graduation with a university degree (RR, 0.95). For those born at 24 to 27 weeks, mean income differences were −$5,463 CAD per year (17 percent lower), and the adjusted RR was 0.55 for university enrollment and graduation.

"Policymakers, clinicians, and parents should be aware that the socioeconomic impact of PTB is not limited to the early neonatal period but extends into adulthood," the authors write.

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