Young adult outcomes following premature birth: A Western Australian experience.
Early Hum Dev
; 188: 105920, 2024 Jan.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38128445
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Childhood outcomes following preterm birth are widely published, however long-term adult outcomes are less well described. We aimed to determine the quality of life and burden of co-morbidities experienced by preterm-born young adults in Western Australia.METHODS:
A retrospective observational study was conducted. Participants born at 23-33 weeks gestation cared for at King Edward Memorial Hospital during 1990 and 1991 were recruited from a historical birth cohort. Participants completed general, medical and reproductive health questionnaires. Results were compared with contemporaneous cohort data and/or population statistics.RESULTS:
Questionnaires were received from 73 young adults aged 28 to 30 years. The majority of respondents completed high school (94.5 %), were employed fulltime (74.0 %) and had close friends and family relationships. Almost all the participants considered their health to be good (94.0 %) and participated in light exercise (90.0 %). Increased hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, asthma, neuropsychiatric conditions and visual impairment were reported. Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) scoring identified increased mild anxiety. Increased consultation with healthcare workers and use of prescription medications were reported.CONCLUSION:
The group of preterm-born adults surveyed reported a good quality of life, supportive interpersonal relationships and they provided significant contributions to society. They did report increased medical and psychological conditions than the general population.Key words
Full text:
1
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Premature Birth
Limits:
Adult
/
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Newborn
/
Pregnancy
Country/Region as subject:
Oceania
Language:
En
Year:
2024
Type:
Article