Article

Our objective was to perform a meta-analysis to investigate whether
low birthweight (LBW) or preterm birth was associated with difficulty in mental,
neuromusculoskeletal, and movement-related school function tasks. METHOD. Two
search strategies produced 40 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the
meta-analysis and yielded 549 effect sizes (d). Heterogeneity was evaluated by
obtaining Q and I-squared values. Egger's regression intercept test and a funnel
plot were used to check for publication bias. RESULTS. Children born LBW
exhibited considerable difficulties in mental (d = -0.655, p < .0001) and
neuromusculoskeletal and movement-related tasks (d = -0.391, p < .0001) compared
with children of normal birthweight. Children born preterm also exhibited
significant difficulties compared with full-term children in mental,
neuromusculoskeletal, and movement-related tasks (d = -0.237, p < .0001).
CONCLUSION. Deficits in mental and motor functions in children born LBW or
preterm appear to have significant effects on school readiness and academic
achievement.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Langue : ANGLAIS