Objective: To compare mental health at 5 years in children born extremely preterm and at term and assess associations between functional abilities and mental health within the preterm group. Design: In a national Norwegian cohort with gestational age (GA) 22-27 weeks or birthweight 500-999g mental health was assessed with The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), cognitive function with WPPSI-R, motor function with ABC movement test and severity of cerebral palsy (CP) with the Gross Motor Function Classification for CP (GMFCS). Neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) were described as mild and moderate/severe. SDQ of the preterm children was compared with that of a non-selected reference group born at term. SDQ sub-scores ≥90 th percentile were defined as a mental health problem and a total difficulty score ≥90 th percentile (TDS90) as suggestive of psychiatric disorder. Results: Of 361 eligible preterm children parents completed SDQ for 255 (71 %). 28 (11%) had TDS90 compared to 10 of 758 (1%) of the reference group (OR: 8.4, 95% CI 4.0 to 17.0). For the preterms the rate of TDS90 was higher for those with moderate/severe NDD (12/37 vs. 6/116, OR: 9. 3.0;26.0), but not for those with mild NDD (10/102 vs. 6/116) compared with those with no NDD. For preterms with no NDD TDS90 was more common than for the term reference group (6/116 vs. 10/758, OR:3.7, 1.3;10.0), and the most distinguishing features were emotional and peer problems. Conclusion: Extreme prematurity is associated with increased risk of later mental health problems, particularly if they have other functional impairments.

AbstractsOther managements were similar in all groups. Stool weight(g) and duration of diarrhea were the primary outcomes. Results There was a trend in stool weight reduction in the groups receiving L-isoleucine and the reduction was significant on day 2 (mean ± SD, L-isoleucine vs. vit D vs. L -isoleucine + vit D vs. control, 276±228 vs. 386±302 vs. 301± 181 vs. 447± 325, p=0.039) and day3 (176±157 vs. 321±273 vs. 276±169 vs. 341±292, p=0.045). The duration of diarrhea was similar in all groups. Conclusion L-isoleucine supplemented food reduces stool weight in children with acute diarrhea.

Background and aim Overweight is associated psychological problems. Our aim was to examine if overweight is associated with mental health problems even before entering primary school. Methods Parents of all children born in Oppland County, Norway, in 2001 were invited to complete questionnaires addressing health issues at 5–6 years of age. Height and weight were obtained from the local public health care clinics. Mental health was assessed using the ‘Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire’ (SDQ) completed by the parents. Overweight and obesity (OWOB) was defined according to the International Obesity Task Force, and children with OWOB were compared with the rest of the cohort. Results Of 1119 children (62% of invited), 153 (14%) had OWOB. Their mean (SD) body mass index was 18.9 ± 1.72 vs 15.4 ± 1.06, p < 0.0005. Sex distribution was similar (59 vs 51% girls, p = 0.09), but fewer of those with OWOB had mothers with education at college or university level (38% vs 58%, p < 0.0005). On the SDQ, the OWOB group had higher scores on Total Difficulties (5.64 ± 4.38 vs 4.91 ± 3.71, p = 0.032) and Hyperactivity (2.54 ± 1.85 vs 2.18 vs 0.63, p = 0,029), but the differences did not remain significant after controlling for differences in maternal education and sex (Total Difficulties: p = 0.26, Hyperactivity: p = 0.09). Conclusion Before school entry, overweight was associated with indices of psychological problems, but the effect of overweight was not significant when controlling for sex and mothers’ education.

Background and Aims Several studies have described an association between very preterm birth and psychiatric problems later in life. We aimed to investigate whether young adults who were born very preterm (VPT) (< 33 gestational weeks) are at increased risk of experiencing non-clinical psychotic symptoms compared to controls (e.g., delusional ideation) and whether such symptoms are associated with altered brain maturation. Methods Sixty-four VPT born individuals and 39 controls (mean age 20 years) completed the Peters' Delusional Inventory, which measures psychosis proneness in the general population. Structural MRI data collected at age 15 years were used to investigated possible anatomical correlates of psychosis proneness, by subdividing the sample according to high (>=8; VPT: 40.6%, controls: 48.7%) and low (< 8) PDI scores. Results The groups did not differ in PDI scores (χ