HOSPITALIZATION OF VERY-LOW-BIRTH-WEIGHT CHILDREN AT SCHOOL AGE

Objective: To assess whether very low birth weight (VLBW) increases the risk of hospitalization at school age. Design: Prospective, multisite cohort study. Participants: Selected from a previous multisite, hospital-based trial, 611 VLBW children, and, from a prior representative sample, 724 children who weighed 1501 to 2500 gm and 533 who weighed >2500 gm. All the children were recontacted at 8 to 10 years of age for this study. Methods: Maternal interview with the use of standardized questions. Main outcome: Hospitalization in year before interview. Results: The VLBW children were three or four times more likely to be rehospitalized than children of normal birth weight, both in the year before the interview (7% vs 2%) and since birth (50% to 60% vs 22%). Morbidity and Medicaid coverage increased the risk of hospitalization in the year before the interview; non-white race decreased it. After control for other factors, however, lower birth weight remained a significant risk factor for hospitalization. Conclusions: The VLBW children continue to have an increased risk of hospitalization; the risk is similar in magnitude to that seen in infancy.