Self-perceived health, functioning and well-being of very low birth weight infants at age 20 years.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the self-perceived health of very low birth weight (VLBW; <1.5 kg) infants during young adulthood.

STUDY DESIGN

The population included 241 VLBW and 232 normal birth weight (NBW) controls who completed the Child Health and Illness Profile: Adolescent Edition (CHIP-AE) at 20 years of age. The CHIP-AE includes six domains: Satisfaction, Comfort, Resilience, Achievement, Risk Avoidance, and Disorders, and 13 profiles that characterize patterns of health. Results were compared between VLBW and NBW subjects adjusting for sex and sociodemographic status.

RESULTS

VLBW subjects did not differ from NBW controls in the domains of Satisfaction or Comfort but reported less Resilience (effect size [ES] -0.19, P < .05), specifically in physical activity and family involvement. They reported better Achievement, specifically in work performance (ES 0.28, P < .05), more Risk Avoidance (ES 0.43, P < .001), and significantly more long-term medical, surgical, and psychosocial disorders. Similar proportions of VLBW and NBW subjects reported Excellent (15% vs 11%), Average (27% vs 34%), and Poor (12% vs 13%) profiles of health.

CONCLUSIONS

VLBW subjects report similar health, well-being, and functioning compared with NBW controls and greater risk avoidance. However, we are concerned that their lesser resilience may prove detrimental to their future adult health.