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This is Sarah Long withthe VOA Special English Science Report.
Scientists have reported the first long-term study of childrenwho were born earlier and smaller than normal. The researchersmeasured the progress of these premature babies compared with normalchildren.
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Maureen Hack of Rainbow Babies andChildren's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio led the twenty-year study.The New England Journal of Medicine published the results.Theresearchers studied almost five-hundred premature and normalchildren. The children were born in a poor area of Cleveland betweenNineteen-Seventy-Seven and Nineteen-Seventy-Nine.
On average, the premature babies were born in the twenty-ninthweek of pregnancy. Thirty-seven weeks of pregnancy is consideredfull-term. The babies weighed less than one-thousand-five-hundredgrams. They were more likely to have serious medical problemsincluding cerebral palsy, blindness and lung disease.
The premature group did worse on intelligence tests than theothers. Still, seventy-four percent of them completed high school.Eighty-three percent of the normal group finished high school.
Both groups tested lower than average on intelligence tests.Experts say these results may not represent the rest of the nation.They say children from rich families usually do better onintelligence tests.
The researchers say the study showed that the young people borntoo soon got into less trouble than the other group. They had fewerproblems with alcohol, drugs and crime. The girls had fewerpregnancies. Children of lower intelligence often get involved inrisk-taking activities. So the scientists had not expected thisresult.
Doctor Hack said the medical problems of the premature group didnot surprise the researchers. The babies were born before theirorgans had a chance to fully develop. Blindness and lung diseaseoften threaten premature babies. Some also suffer severe musculardamage.
The researchers say the premature children had unusuallyprotective and careful parents. This may have saved their lives. Theresearchers also say extremely watchful parents may have preventedthe children from getting into trouble.
About forty-thousand premature babies are born each year in theUnited States. This is about one-percent of the total number ofbabies born in this country every year.
This VOA Special English Science Report was written by JerilynWatson. This is Sarah Long.