This observation was carried out on healthy children.
A new analysis sheds light on the possible consequences of the state of health of babies at birth on their cognitive abilities and precisely their intelligence quotient in adulthood. Although medical progress has considerably improved the care of newborns, the long-term effects of certain conditions at birth remain little studied.
It must be remembered: the intelligence quotient or “IQ” evolves throughout life. It even peaks at a particular age. According to the work of researchers at the University of Oxford published on March 30 in the scientific journal JAMA Pediatrics, it can be influenced from birth. The scientists reviewed 40 study summaries from large international databases, representing nearly 800 results, in order to assess the impact of the child’s birth conditions on their cognitive abilities and their educational career later.
Their observation is clear: being born premature Or with low birth weight is associated with lower IQ. Concretely, the researchers indicate that the individuals concerned were born before 37 weeks of pregnancy or weighed less than 2.5 kg at birth. On average, they had lower scores on intelligence tests. The difference observed corresponded to approximately 10 IQ points.
Moreover, “prematurity or low birth weight was associated with lower reading achievement, lower mathematics performance, lower spelling performance, and greater need for educational support” indicate the authors. The earlier the birth – or the lower the weight – the more marked the difficulties observed. These differences are particularly visible during childhood. They tend to diminish during adolescence, without disappearing completely: certain differences persist into adulthood.
How to explain it? The brain develops intensely at the end of pregnancy. A premature birth can therefore interrupt certain key stages of maturation. Similarly, low birth weight may reflect less favorable development during intrauterine life. However, the authors insist on an essential point: these factors do not alone determine future intelligence. The family environment, early stimulation, access to care and socio-economic level play a major role. In other words, these are trends observed at the population level, and not individual predictions. Not all children affected will encounter difficulties.
This work above all highlights the importance of early identification of children at risk and long-term monitoring, in order to offer appropriate medical and educational support. The objective is to identify possible difficulties as early as possible to better support learning.
