Small for Gestational Age-Cognitive Performance From Infancy to Adulthood: An Observational Study

Objective To determine whether cognitive performance from infancy to adulthood is affected by being born SGA, and if this depends on the SGA reference used. Furthermore, to determine SGA's effect while considering the effects of very preterm/very low birth weight (VP/VLBW), socioeconomic status (SES), and parent-infant relationship. Design, setting and population 414 participants (197 Term-Born, 217 VP/VLBW) of the Bavarian Longitudinal Study METHODS: SGA was classified using neonatal or fetal growth references. SES and the parent-infant relationship were assessed before 5 months old. Main outcome measures Developmental (DQ) and IQ tests assessed cognitive performance on 6 occasions, from 5-months to 26-years old. Results The fetal reference classified more infants as SGA ( Funding All authors are supported by EU horizon 2020 grant (RECAP-preterm; www.recap-preterm.eu) under agreement number 733280.