TY - JOUR
T1 - Small-for-Gestational Age Birth Confers Similar Educational Performance through Middle School
AU - Murthy, K.
AU - Karbownik, Krzysztof
AU - Garfield, Craig F.
AU - Falciglia, Gustave H.
AU - Roth, Jeffrey
AU - Figlio, David N.
PY - 2019/9
Y1 - 2019/9
N2 - Objective: To estimate the association between small for gestational age (SGA) at birth and educational performance on standardized testing and disability prevalence in elementary and middle school. Study design: Through linked birth certificates and school records, surviving infants born at 23-41 weeks of gestation who entered Florida's public schools 1998-2009 were identified. Twenty-three SGA definitions (3rd-25th percentile) were derived. Outcomes were scores on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) and students' disability classification in grades 3 through 8. A “sibling cohort” subsample included families with at least 2 siblings from the same mother in the study period. Multivariable models estimated independent relationships between SGA and outcomes. Results: Birth certificates for 80.2% of singleton infants were matched to Florida public school records (N = 1 254 390). Unadjusted mean FCAT scores were 0.236 SD lower among <10th percentile SGA infants compared with non-SGA infants; this difference declined to −0.086 SD after adjusting for maternal and infant characteristics. When siblings discordant in SGA status were compared within individual families, the association declined to −0.056 SD. For SGA <10th percentile infants, the observed prevalence of school-age disability was 15.0%, 7.7%, and 6.3% for unadjusted, demographics-adjusted, and sibling analyses, respectively. No inflection or discontinuity was detected across SGA definitions from 3rd to 25th percentile in either outcome, and the associations were qualitatively similar. Conclusions: The associations between SGA birth and students' standardized test scores and well-being were quantitatively small but persisted through elementary and middle school. The observed deficits were largely mitigated by demographic and familial factors.
AB - Objective: To estimate the association between small for gestational age (SGA) at birth and educational performance on standardized testing and disability prevalence in elementary and middle school. Study design: Through linked birth certificates and school records, surviving infants born at 23-41 weeks of gestation who entered Florida's public schools 1998-2009 were identified. Twenty-three SGA definitions (3rd-25th percentile) were derived. Outcomes were scores on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) and students' disability classification in grades 3 through 8. A “sibling cohort” subsample included families with at least 2 siblings from the same mother in the study period. Multivariable models estimated independent relationships between SGA and outcomes. Results: Birth certificates for 80.2% of singleton infants were matched to Florida public school records (N = 1 254 390). Unadjusted mean FCAT scores were 0.236 SD lower among <10th percentile SGA infants compared with non-SGA infants; this difference declined to −0.086 SD after adjusting for maternal and infant characteristics. When siblings discordant in SGA status were compared within individual families, the association declined to −0.056 SD. For SGA <10th percentile infants, the observed prevalence of school-age disability was 15.0%, 7.7%, and 6.3% for unadjusted, demographics-adjusted, and sibling analyses, respectively. No inflection or discontinuity was detected across SGA definitions from 3rd to 25th percentile in either outcome, and the associations were qualitatively similar. Conclusions: The associations between SGA birth and students' standardized test scores and well-being were quantitatively small but persisted through elementary and middle school. The observed deficits were largely mitigated by demographic and familial factors.
KW - SGA
KW - child development
KW - longitudinal data
KW - test scores
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.04.055
DO - 10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.04.055
M3 - Article
C2 - 31301852
AN - SCOPUS:85068522729
VL - 212
SP - 159-165.e7
JO - Journal of Pediatrics
JF - Journal of Pediatrics
SN - 0022-3476
ER -