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Am J Perinatol 2013; 30(09): 723-730
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1331034
Original Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Impact of Maternal Education on Cognitive and Language Scores at 18 to 24 Months among Extremely Preterm Neonates

Gary Ko
1   Maternal-Infant Care Research Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
,
Prakesh Shah
1   Maternal-Infant Care Research Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2   Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada
3   Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
4   Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
,
Shoo K. Lee
1   Maternal-Infant Care Research Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2   Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada
3   Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
5   Division of Newborn and Developmental Pediatrics, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
,
Elizabeth Asztalos
3   Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
5   Division of Newborn and Developmental Pediatrics, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

05 August 2012

28 September 2012

Publication Date:
27 December 2012 (online)

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Abstract

Objective To explore the association between maternal education levels and cognitive and language composite scores of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Third Edition at 18 to 24 months' corrected age in extremely preterm infants born at < 29 weeks of gestation.

Design/methods For infants born between 2005 and 2008, maternal education levels and the cognitive and language composite scores were collected. Analysis of covariance was used to determine the relationship between maternal education levels and composite scores after adjusting for neonatal and perinatal factors.

Results For the study period, 457/524 (88%) infants were included in the analysis. With less than a high school education as reference, infants born to mothers with a high school education (adjusted mean difference [MD] = 5.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.9 to 10.0), with partial college or specialty training (MD 8.1; 95% CI 2.8 to 13.5), with a university degree or more (MD 12.6; 95% CI 8.2 to 17.0) had significantly higher cognitive scores. Similarly, infants born to mothers with a university degree or more had significantly higher language scores (MD 10.8; 95% CI 6.1 to 15.5).

Conclusions For infants born at <29 weeks' gestation, both cognitive and language scores were higher as maternal education increased from less than high school level to university or higher level.

Keywords

neurodevelopmental outcomes - very preterm infant - maternal education - cognition - language
 

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