Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40319139›Full record

SynthesisPediatric research2025

Socioeconomic outcomes in very preterm/very low birth weight adults: individual participant data meta-analysis.

Yanlin Zhou, Marina Mendonça, Nicole Tsalacopoulos, Peter Bartmann, Brian A Darlow, Sarah L Harris, John Horwood, Lianne J Woodward, Peter J Anderson, Lex W Doyle and 12 more

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Pediatric research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors.

Yanlin ZhouDepartment of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9204-7951
Marina MendonçaDepartment of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9224-4891
Nicole TsalacopoulosDepartment of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0788-8685
Peter BartmannDepartment of Neonatology and Paediatric Intensive Care, University Hospital Bonn, Children's Hospital, Bonn, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7115-3552
Brian A DarlowDepartment of Paediatrics, University of Otago Christchurch, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Sarah L HarrisDepartment of Paediatrics, University of Otago Christchurch, Christchurch, New Zealand.
John HorwoodDepartment of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago Christchurch, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Lianne J WoodwardCanterbury Child Development Research Group, Faculty of Health, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7790-1435
Peter J AndersonSchool of Psychology Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7430-868X
Lex W DoyleClinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7667-7312
Jeanie L Y CheongClinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5901-0455
Eero KajantieClinical Medicine Research Unit, MRC Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7081-8391
Marjaana TikanmäkiClinical Medicine Research Unit, MRC Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Samantha JohnsonDepartment of Population Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8963-7881
Neil MarlowElizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5890-2953
Chiara NosartiDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6305-9710
Marit S IndredavikDepartment of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3860-5075
Kari Anne I EvensenDepartment of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0129-0164
Katri RäikkönenDepartment of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3124-3470
Kati HeinonenDepartment of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Sylvia van der PalDepartment of Child Health, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research TNO, Leiden, the Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9706-9298
Dieter WolkeDepartment of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom. d.wolke@warwick.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0304-268X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundVery preterm (VPT; <32 weeks) or very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 g) birth is associated with socioeconomic disadvantages in adulthood; however, the predictors of these outcomes remain underexplored. This study examined socioeconomic disparities and identified neonatal and sociodemographic risk factors among VPT/VLBW individuals.

methodsA one-stage individual participant data meta-analysis was conducted using 11 birth cohorts from eight countries, comprising 1695 VPT/VLBW and 1620 term-born adults aged 18-30 years.

resultsVPT/VLBW adults had lower odds of higher educational attainment (0.40[0.26-0.59]), remaining in education (0.63[0.47-0.84]) or paid work (0.76[0.59-0.97]), and higher odds of receiving social benefits (3.93[2.63-5.68]) than term-borns. Disparities in education and social benefits persisted after adjusting for age, sex, and maternal education, even among those without neurosensory impairments (NSI). Among VPT/VLBW adults, NSI significantly impacted all socioeconomic outcomes, increasing the odds of receiving social benefits 6.7-fold. Additional risk factors included medical complications, lower gestational age and birth weight, lower maternal education, younger maternal age, and non-white ethnicity.

conclusionsNSI is the strongest risk factor for adulthood socioeconomic challenges in the VPT/VLBW population. Mitigating these disparities may require improved neonatal care to reduce NSI prevalence and targeted social and educational support for VPT/VLBW individuals. IMPACT: Very preterm or very low birth weight (VPT/VLBW) birth is associated with socioeconomic disadvantages in adulthood, including lower educational attainment, lower employment rates, and a higher need for social benefits compared with individuals born at term. Neurosensory impairments are strongly associated with adverse socioeconomic outcomes among VPT/VLBW adults, while lower gestational age, lower birth weight, and sociodemographic disadvantages serve as additional risk factors. Early interventions in the NICU that reduce medical complications, along with enhanced educational support throughout childhood, may help mitigate long-term socioeconomic disparities for individuals born VPT/VLBW.

Indexed as

Infant, Extremely PrematureInfant, Very Low Birth WeightSocioeconomic FactorsAdolescentAdultEducational StatusFemaleGestational AgeHumansInfant, NewbornMaleRisk FactorsYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID40319139
PMCPMC12811119

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.