New research, funded by the NIHR School for Primary Care Research (SPCR), suggests that a mother’s age and level of education at the time of birth play a significant role in shaping the quality of adult life for babies born preterm or with low birthweight.
The findings are highlighted in a new blog post from the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, which explores how maternal background factors, beyond birthweight alone, can influence long-term physical and mental health outcomes.
While previous studies have often concentrated on birthweight as a key predictor of future wellbeing, this research takes a broader view, showing that the social and educational context of the mother can have lasting implications for a child’s development into adulthood.
Further Links:
- Corneliu Bolbocean is funded by NIHR School for Primary Care Research (SPCR) grant no. 713.
- A heterogeneity analysis of health-related quality of life in early adults born very preterm or very low birthweight across the sociodemographic spectrum, Social Science & Medicine, Volume 380, September 2025