SCHOOL-AGE OUTCOME FOR VERY TINY/PRETERM CHILDREN BORN IN VICTORIA IN 1991-92

Funded Activity Summary

The survival rate for tiny or very premature babies has improved dramatically in recent times, from below 10% in the 1960s to greater than 70% in the 1990s. Several new treatments have helped to improve their survival rate, but some have the potential to cause long-term harm to the developing baby's brain or lung, and may cause lifelong problems with thinking, walking, talking, seeing, hearing, growth or breathing. Babies who are very tiny (born weighing less than 1000 g), or born very early (born before 28 weeks of pregnancy, or more than 12 weeks premature) will be assessed long term (to 8-9 years of age), as broadly as possible, and in comparison with normal birthweight (NBW, birthweight >2499 g) children. Outcomes will encompass academic progress and behaviour, brain function, general health, growth, and respiratory health. We will compare the outcomes for very tiny-preterm children who were treated with several of these new therapies with those who were not so treated. We will assess whether alternative measures of long term outcome that assess the quality of life are applicable to very tiny-preterm children. If so, these measures could be used much more widely, since they are cheaper and less time-consuming.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2000

End Date: 01-01-2001

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $252,956.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Paediatrics

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

cerebral palsy | chronic lung disease | corticosteroids | intelligence | low birthweight | newborn infant | school-age outcome

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