The Effect of Low Birthweight on the Health, Behavior, and School Performance of School-Aged Children

This study uses the 1988 Child Health Supplement of the National Health Interview Survey to examine the performance of school-aged children who were of low birthweight. We examine a number of indicators of school performance, health, and behavior. We examine these effects separately for children ages 6 to 10 and for children ages 11 to 15. In addition, we examine two sets of the age cohorts: one where all children are included, and one which excludes children who are attending special education. The latter category is meant to examine children who have not been identified as having problems in school which require special services. We find that low birthweight children are more likely to perform poorly in school than their normal birthweight peers, and they are more likely to experience health problems, even into their adolescence. We do not find significantly more behavior problems for low birthweight children compared to their normal birthweight peers.