“Is gestational age a factor in determining the health-related quality of life of children and young people born preterm?” A critical review of the literature

This review offers an in-depth critical exploration of 5 studies investigating the relationship between prematurity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in preschool children, adolescents and young adults. Innovations in neonatology have meant that children born preterm have a better chance of surviving than in previous decades, but less is known about the influence of prematurity on the subsequent HRQoL of survivors.In the papers reviewed, gestational age is negatively associated with cognitive and physical functioning, but the relationship between gestational age and HRQoL differs between groups. The review concludes that whilst these studies make a valuable contribution to understanding the HRQoL of children who were born preterm, standardisation between approaches would enable improved comparison between cohorts. Further research is needed to set the standards against which the HRQoL of children can be measured and conceptualised, and to take into account the wider concept of quality of life (QoL).