Leicester researchers contribute to House of Lords report on reducing the risks of premature birth

Research into how to meet the needs of children born prematurely by academics at the University of Leicester forms part of a new report by the House of Lords.

The report, published earlier this month by the Preterm Birth Committee, entitled Reducing Risks and Improving Lives, features the findings of Professor Samantha Johnson, Developmental Psychologist and Professor of Child Development and Elaine Boyle, Professor of Neonatal Medicine from the University’s Department of Population Health Sciences.

It considers prevention and consequences of preterm birth – the single biggest cause of neonatal mortality in the UK, and a leading contributor to death in childhood. 

The report warns that the target to reduce the preterm birth rate – a key strand of the Government’s national maternity safety ambition – from around 7.9% in England to 6% by 2025 will not be met.

It highlights the disparities in outcomes for preterm babies that exist between different socio-economic and ethnic groups and states that all women need support to ensure their general health is optimised prior to pregnancy. 

Furthermore, it states that women at greater risk of preterm birth should be identified with targeted treatments and that disparities in clinical guidance should be addressed along with serious staffing pressures in maternity wards. 

The report also states that greater levels of care should be provided following birth and the intervening years. 

Speaking directly to the committee, Professor Johnson outlined the difficulties faced by some youngsters born preterm including physical disabilities, difficulties with memory, attention and problem solving as well as social and emotional problems with anxiety, depression and withdrawn behaviour. 

She highlighted that children born preterm are also more likely to have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, special educational needs (SEN) and learning difficulties than children who were born at term and said that pre-school checks for this group of youngsters at two years and four years were vital to identify any difficulties - particularly for those born at less than 28 weeks gestation. However, she said there were “issues” in that pre-school checks were not yet being widely offered. 

In giving her evidence to the committee, Professor Boyle said that the short- and long-term effects of birth before full term are measurable, even in those born up to 37-38 weeks gestation, and that children born into less affluent backgrounds tended to be those who “got lost to follow-up”. 

She called for increased awareness of outcomes following birth before full term among adult physicians, general practitioners and those dealing with adults and children who have been born early.

A scheme run by The Smallest Things charity known as the ‘Prem Aware Award’ for schools and early years settings designed to improve educational support for preterm born children and their families, was also praised within the report.

The award uses a free online training resource developed by Professor Johnson and her colleagues in the PRISM (Premature Infants’ Skills in Mathematics – Study Team) to increase education professionals’ awareness of the impacts of prematurity on children’s development and learning. 

The report stated that: “Enhancing understanding among education professionals has the potential to facilitate the transition to school for families, enable appropriate support to be provided during school and improve outcomes for children born prematurely.”

In addition, the report, published in Premature Awareness Month (Nov), also said that a “greater focus on pregnancy and neonatal research is needed, alongside increased funding, to make progress in understanding the fundamental mechanisms of preterm labour, developing more effective interventions, and ensuring clinical guidance is implemented effectively.”