English conference proceeding
Theunissen,
N.C.M., Den Ouden, L., Verloove-Vanhorick, S.P., Verrips, G.H., Koopman,
H.M., Kamphuis, R.P., Tromp, D., & Wit, J.M. (1997). Reconstruction
of health status at five, nine and ten years of age in children born prematurely. 11th conference of the European Health Psychology Society, Bordeaux,
France, 3-5 September, 112.
Abstract
Aim:
(1) To reconstruct the Health Status (HS) of a Dutch cohort of children
born prematurely. (2) To compare their HS with the HS of a Dutch norm
population at 5, 9 and 10 years of age. (3) To study HS development within
the sample.
Sample: 875 preterm birth survivors, born in 1983 and enrolled in the
follow-up programme "Project On Preterm and Small for gestational
age infants (POPS)".
Design: A variety of clinical and psychological information about the
children, formerly obtained from the parents, was retrospectively organised
around six HS domains: physical complaints, motor functioning, autonomy,
cognitive functioning, social functioning, and emotional functioning.
Items were selected if they applied to the six HS domains according to
rating by experts (three paediatricians and three psychologists). The
selected items were recoded into TACQOL-item formulation (TNO-AZL childrens
Quality of Life questionnaire), with help of computer algorithms. Both
original and recoded items were analysed.
Results: (1) The selected items were combined into scales covering the
intended domains. The content of the scales varied among the three points
of measurement. Cronbachs alpha of internal consistency ranged from
0.17 to 0.84. The cognitive functioning scale was reliable at all three
ages (a>.65). Factor analysis did not confirm the intended domains
completely. Problems in HS of premature children appeared to cluster around
depression, social-emotional function-ing, cognitive functioning, perceptional
functioning, and motor functioning.
(2) MANOVA and ANOVA analysis suggested that premature children had lower
HS than the normal population had on 45% of the items (p<0.01), especially
on those concerning autonomy, motor functioning, concentration, and social
functioning. Premature children seemed to have higher HS than children
in the normal population did on 34% of the items, especially on those
concerning physical complaints, school functioning and negative emotions.
Both groups were alike on 21 % of the items, especially on those concerning
aggres-sion and communication. This applied to all three ages of measurement.
(3) OVERALS analysis with the original items revealed that children with
motor and cognitive problems at age 5 still had these problems at age
9 and 10. Children with cognitive and concentration problems, but without
motor problems at age 5 had cognitive problems at age 9 and were still
without motor problems at age 10.
Conclusion: Reconstruction of HS appeared to be possible. In future, prospective
research may be needed to judge the validity of the findings in this study.
Keywords
health status; preterm birth; premature
birth; very low birth weight; longitudinal studies; follow-up;