Title: 'Small for Gestational Age: Cognitive Performance from Infancy to Adulthood'

Speaker: Rob Eves

Manuscript at a glance

What is the purpose of this study?

Do the IQ trajectories of babies born at small or appropriate weight for gestational age (SGA/AGA) differ? Are results affected by the reference used to classify SGA? How important is SGA on IQ in comparison to other important covariates of very preterm birth status or socio-environmental factors?

Key Findings

SGA participants had significantly lower IQ from infancy to adulthood in comparison to AGA counterparts. SGA’s effect on IQ was similar when using a population or ultrasound-based reference to classify SGA, despite the ultrasound-based reference identifying many more participants as SGA. Very preterm birth and socio-environmental risk factors further lowered IQ scores.

What does this add to what is known?

This longitudinal study shows that SGA birth has sustained adverse effects on IQ from infancy to adulthood. Socio-environmental risk factors in the perinatal period require similar attention to avert risk to IQ development.

Please contact Internal Seminar co-ordinator, Dr Jesse Preston to arrange a slot: j.preston@warwick.ac.uk