Work

Child’s daily life at 10 years following moderate, late preterm, or early term birth: results from EPIPAGE-2 and ELFE cohorts

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction Preterm birth includes four subgroups: extremely (<28 weeks’ gestation), very (28 +0 –31 +6 ), moderate (32 +0 –33 +6 , MPT) and late (34 +0 –36 +6 , LPT). While school attainment is well-studied across subgroups, other aspects of daily life are rarely reported for MPT, LPT and early term (37 +0 –38 +6 , ET) or are explored only qualitatively. Objective Assess daily life, including school and quality of life at age 10 years for MPT, LPT and ET compared with full-term (39 +0 -40 +6 , FT) peers. Methods Children born in 2011 from two birth cohorts (ELFE: ≥33 +0 weeks; EPIPAGE-2: ≤34 +6 weeks) completed a 10-year follow-up via telephone interview (n=8373) and home visit (n=6418). Weighting addressed selection bias. Outcome-wide regressions (modified Poisson, linear) were used to calculate adjusted relative risks (aRR) and beta-coefficients (β). Results MPT had a higher risk of receiving any school support (aRR 1.67, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.54). Their risk for difficulties in French and mathematics was, respectively, 1.32 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.74) and 1.50 (95% CI 1.13 to 1.99) times higher, while school-related quality of life was 0.30 (95% CI −0.58 to −0.02) SD lower relative to FT. They were 2.02 times more likely to be non-swimmers (95% CI 1.24 to 3.29). Both MPT/LPT were less likely to eat school meals but reported higher overall well-being scores (+0.16 SD and +0.13 SD, respectively). The study sample may under-represent socioeconomically deprived groups. Conclusions MPT/LPT children’s daily lives differ from those of FT children in some respects. Those discrepancies should be explored further to better understand needs and accommodate them. Findings may not generalise to disadvantaged groups.

Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood Fetal & Neonatal

DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2026-330570