Funding outcome

Children who are born early (also called preterm birth) have more problems with their lungs and hearts after birth, as well as through childhood and into adulthood, compared to children born on time {also called term birth). We recently finished a large study of children 8-12 years of age who were born 10-14 weeks early (extremely preterm). We found out that children born extremely preterm have lower lung function than children born at term and that children born extremely preterm who had a lung disease called bronchopulmonary dysplasia as infants had even lower lung function. We also found out that children born extremely preterm who had bronchopulmonary dysplasia had lower capcity for exercise compared to both children born extremely preterm who did not have bronchopulmonary dysplasia and children born at term. What do do not know if whether the lung and exercise problems that we see in children who were born extremely preterm also mean that they have a lower quality of life at 8-12 years of age. For this project, we will use the information we have collected from 103 children born extremely preterm and 64 children born at term who agreed to participate in our study. The children came in for a day of lung function, cardiorespiratory exercise and control of breathing testing and also filled out questionnaires. For this sub-study, we will use the measurements we collect of their lung function and exercise capacity, questionnaires they completed about their quality of life, as well as information about their medical history and behaviour. We will use all this information to find out if lower lung function and exercise capacity also lowers quality of life. We look to see if there are other factors, like physical activity, that help to keep quality of life high. Together, this information will help us understand what factors can change qualty of life in children with a history of extreme preterm.