A FOLLOW-UP STUDY OF CHILDREN OF LOW BIRTH WEIGHT AND CONTROL CHILDREN AT SCHOOL AGE

Abstract

A comprehensive follow-up of survivors of matched groups of low- and mature-birth-weight infants born in Wake County, North Carolina, was carried out when the children were approximately 8 to 10 years old. The sample included 92 who had weighed more than 2,500 gm at birth, 102 with birth weights of 1.501-2,500 gm, and 33 who had weighed 1,500 gm or less. Covariance techniques were utilized to hold background factors constant in some of the analyses. A higher proportion of the tinest infants had sustained major physical defects (24% vs. 2-3% in other groups). This group was significantly smaller in weight and head size, and tended to come from more disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Extensive comparisons of data from physical and psychological examinations, social histories, and school reports tended to find only a few significant differences among the groups, all of which were probably related more closely to social background than to birth weight per se. The data indicate that, aside from physical size and major physical defects, social class assumes much more importance than does birth weight in determining a child''s developmental prognosis.