Gender distinctive impacts of prematurity and small for gestational age (SGA) on age-6 attention problems

Background Predictors of attention problems remain uncertain. Here we distinguish prematurity from small (birth weight) for gestational age (SGA). Method A total of 1437 children were studied between 0 and 6 years. Gender differences and indirect perinatal effects (via 20-month head circumference and cognition) were considered for age 6 attention problems. Results Boys, preterms, and SGA children were all at increased risk for attention problems. Indirect perinatal effects differed between boys and girls. Conclusions The routes leading to attention problems seem to differ for SGA and preterm children. SGA appears to reduce brain volume while prematurity alters brain function. Although less frequent, female attention problems are more strongly predicted by prematurity and cognitive dysfunction.This study was supported by grants PKE24, JUG14, 01EP9504, and 01ER0801 from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Science (BMBF). The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of BMBF. Information on BMBF is available on http://www.bmbf.de/en/. The authors declare no conflicts of interest