Preterm birth (birth at less than 37 weeks’ gestation) is common and represents a major contributor to global child morbidity and mortality.
An estimated 10.6% of live births, nearly 15 million births annually, occur before 37 completed weeks of gestation (Chawanpaiboon et al., 2019). Collectively, ‘extremely’ preterm births (births at <28 weeks) and ‘very’ preterm births (births at 28–31 weeks) make up around 15% of all preterm births, whilst ‘moderate to late’ preterm births (births at 32–36 weeks) make up the vast majority (85%) (Chawanpaiboon et al., 2019). In high income settings, advances in neonatal care during the last 30 years mean that the number of people growing up as survivors of preterm birth is increasing (Smith et al., 2014; Zeitlin et al., 2016). This has led to increased interest in their long-term outcomes.
O’Nions, E., Wolke, D., Johnson, S., & Kennedy, E. (2021 – online first). Preterm birth: Educational and mental health outcomes. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 13591045211006754. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13591045211006754