SynthesisBMJ open2025
How do socioeconomic inequalities and preterm birth interact to modify health and education outcomes? A narrative systematic review.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Neonatal Brain Structure, Early Life Context, and Academic Achievement among Children Born Very Preterm.Journal of pediatrics. Clinical practice · 2026Article
- Socioeconomic inequity in extreme outcomes within very pre-term and/or very low birthweight infants: evidence from multi-national cohorts.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesHow are socioeconomic inequalities modified by, or how do they interact with, preterm birth?
designNarrative systematic review of quantitative observational studies of an interaction, or effect modification, between preterm birth and socioeconomic status. DATA SOURCES: Five databases were searched for studies published between January 2000 and June 2020. Title and abstract were reviewed to identify articles for dual screening. All included studies were citation searched. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Inclusion criteria were comparison across socioeconomic status and gestational age, interaction between the two, or stratification by either, and health or education as outcome. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Data extracted included study design, sample size, outcome, interaction measure, effect and significance. Included studies were assessed for methodological quality and synthesised narratively.
resultsAfter searches, 52 studies were identified for full-text screening and, with supplementary citation searches, we identified 21 included studies. Eighteen studies studied interaction between gestational age or preterm birth, and socioeconomic status. Three groups of outcomes were identified: cognitive, mental health and developmental. Age at outcome measurement was divided into four categories: preschool, primary school (5-11), secondary school (11-18) and post school (18-29). Seven studies found a significant interaction between the effect of preterm birth and socioeconomic status. Six of these interactions demonstrate that the negative influence of low socioeconomic status was stronger for those born preterm (and vice versa) for cognitive and mental health outcomes, all in studies with a sample size of more than 100 000. One study found that negative effects of low socioeconomic status were reduced for those born preterm (and vice versa) for communication delay.
conclusionsOur findings suggest that the impact of low socioeconomic status on cognitive and mental health outcomes is exacerbated by preterm birth. The remaining evidence suggests the effects are not modified; however, this is potentially due to underpowered studies. Public health action is indicated to support babies born preterm, particularly for disadvantaged families, to improve educational attainment and mental health. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020203613.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.