Motor skills in adolescents with low birthweight

Background Minor motor problems have been reported in low birthweight children, but few studies have assessed motor skills in adolescents. Objective To examine the prevalence of motor problems in adolescents with low birthweight. Methods Fifty‐four very low birthweight (VLBW: birth weight ≤1500 g), 59 term small for gestational age (SGA: birthweight <10th centile), and 83 control (birthweight ≥10th centile at term) children were assessed with the movement assessment battery for children (Movement ABC) at the age of 14 in a population‐based study. Results One in four VLBW children [odds ratio (OR) 9.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5–34.5] and one in six SGA children (OR 4.7, 95% CI 1.2–18.4) had motor problems compared with controls (3.7%). There were no sex differences in motor problems in the VLBW group, and the increased risk was consistent across the continuum of the Movement ABC. For SGA children, the increased risk of motor problems was particularly in manual dexterity in boys. Conclusion VLBW and SGA adolescents have increased risk of motor problems compared with control children.