Birth size, school performance and family social position: a study of 650,000 children.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Low birth weight (BW) is associated with lower cognitive functioning, but less is known of these associations across the full range of the BW distribution and its components. We analyzed how BW, birth length (BL) and birth ponderal index (BPI, kg/m³) are associated with school performance and how childhood family social position modifies these associations.

Methods

Medical birth records of all Finnish children born in 1987-1997 were linked to school performance records at 16 years of age (N = 642,425). We used population averaged and within-siblings fixed-effects linear regression models.

Results

BL showed a linear and BW a curvilinear association with school performance whereas for BPI the association was weak. The strongest association was foun

SUBMITTER: Silventoinen K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10665183 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature