Background Preterm birth with very low birth weight (VLBW, birth weight < 1500 g) is associated with health problems later in life. How VLBW individuals perceive their physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is important to understand their putative burden of disease. Previous studies have shown mixed results, and longitudinal studies into adulthood have been requested. This study aimed to investigate differences in HRQoL between preterm VLBW and term born individuals at 32 years of age, and to study changes in HRQoL from 20 to 32 years. Methods In a geographically based longitudinal study, 45 VLBW and 68 term born control participants completed the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) at 32 years of age. Data from three previous timepoints was also available (20, 23 and 28 years of age). The SF-36 yields eight domain scores as well as a physical and a mental component summary. Between-group differences in these variables were investigated. We also performed subgroup analyses excluding individuals with disabilities, i.e., cerebral palsy and/or low estimated intelligence quotient. Results At 32 years of age, the physical component summary was 5.1 points lower (95% confidence interval (CI): 8.6 to 1.6), and the mental component summary 4.1 points lower (95% CI: 8.4 to − 0.3) in the VLBW group compared with the control group. For both physical and mental component summaries there was an overall decline in HRQoL from 20 to 32 years of age in the VLBW group. When we excluded individuals with disabilities (n = 10), group differences in domain scores at 32 years were reduced, but physical functioning, bodily pain, general health, and role-emotional scores remained lower in the VLBW subgroup without disabilities compared with the control group. Conclusion We found that VLBW individuals reported lower HRQoL than term born controls at 32 years of age, and that HRQoL declined in the VLBW group from 20 to 32 years of age. This was in part, but not exclusively explained by VLBW individuals with disabilities.

Background Very low birth weight (VLBW: ≤1500 g) is associated with multiple short and long-term complications. This study aimed to examine outcomes and predictors of functioning, mental health, and health-related quality of life in adults born with VLBW. Methods In this prospective longitudinal cohort study, 67 VLBW and 102 control participants were assessed using the Adult Self-Report of the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment and Global Assessment of Functioning at 26 years, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Short Form-36 at 28 years of age. Associations between perinatal and childhood predictors and adult functioning were assessed using linear regression. Results Compared with controls, the VLBW group had lower mean raw scores on the Function and Symptom subscales of the Global Assessment of Functioning at 26 years, a higher sum score of symptoms of anxiety and depression due to more depressive symptoms, and poorer mental health-related quality of life at 28 years. The mean group differences ranged from 0.42 to 0.99 SD. Within the VLBW group, lower birth weight and gestational age, a higher number of days with respiratory support and poorer motor function at 14 years were associated with a higher sum score of symptoms of anxiety and depression at 28 years. Days with respiratory support and motor function at 14 years were also predictive of Global Assessment of Functioning scores at 26 years, and mental health-related quality of life at 28 years. Poorer motor and cognitive function at five years were associated with poorer physical health-related quality of life at 28 years. Parental socioeconomic status was related to mental and physical health-related quality of life. Conclusion In this study, VLBW adults reported poorer functioning and mental health-related quality of life, and more depressive symptoms than their term born peers. Days with respiratory support and adolescent motor function predicted most of the adult outcomes. This study explicates perinatal and developmental markers during childhood and adolescence which can be target points for interventions.