Abstract
BackgroundThe prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) and neurobehavioral disorders (N) has increased over the last three decades. However, it is unclear how many excess cases of ND can be attributed to LBW among U.S. children. The objectives of this study were to a) determine the association between LBW and ND including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), behavior and conduct disorder (BCD) and learning disability (LD); and b) determine the population attributable risk (PAR) of these disorders due to LBW.MethodsStudy subjects were a nationally representative cross-sectional sample of 85,637 children ages 2 to 17 years old who participated in the 2011 National Survey of Children’s Health. Birth weight and ND were reported by parents.ResultsLBW accounted for 6.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.3–10.4) of all ASD cases, 2.4% (CI 0.1–5.1) of BCD, and 6.8% (CI 4.8–9.0) of LD among the study population. There was not a significant association between LBW and ADHD. The percentages of these ND due to LBW were found to be higher among those who were pre-term and among ethnic minority groups.ConclusionsBased on our results and given that over 8% of U.S. children are born with LBW, with higher rates among minorities and preterm births, prospective planning for neurobehavioral services is warranted. Efforts to reduce ND in children align with national efforts to reduce LBW.
Highlights
Rates of low birth weight (LBW: birth weight less than 2,500 grams) have been increasing since the mid 1980s in the United States [1]
LBW accounted for 6.0% (95% confidence interval [confidence intervals (CI)] 2.3–10.4) of all autism spectrum disorders (ASD) cases, 2.4% (CI 0.1–5.1) of Behavior or conduct disorders (BCD), and 6.8% (CI 4.8–9.0) of learning disability (LD) among the study population
Our results showed that children with LBW have significantly higher odds of having two or more co-occurring disorders after adjustment for confounders (Table 3)
Summary
Rates of low birth weight (LBW: birth weight less than 2,500 grams) have been increasing since the mid 1980s in the United States [1]. Like LBW, neurobehavioral (ND) and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as attention deficit disorder (ADD)/attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have increased during the past several decades [8, 9]. The prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) and neurobehavioral disorders (N) has increased over the last three decades. It is unclear how many excess cases of ND can be attributed to LBW among U.S children. The objectives of this study were to a) determine the association between LBW and ND including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), behavior and conduct disorder (BCD) and learning disability (LD); and b) determine the population attributable risk (PAR) of these disorders due to LBW
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