Self-perceived health, functioning and well-being of very low birth weight infants at age 20 years.

Objective: To examine the self-perceived health of very low birth weight (VLBW; <1.5 kg) infants during young adulthood.

Methods: The population included 241 VLBW and 232 normal birth weight (NBW) controls who completed the Child Health and Illness Profile: Adolescent Edition (CHIP-AE) at 20 years of age. The CHIP-AE includes six domains: Satisfaction, Comfort, Resilience, Achievement, Risk Avoidance, and Disorders, and 13 profiles that characterize patterns of health. Results were compared between VLBW and NBW subjects adjusting for sex and sociodemographic status.

Results: VLBW subjects did not differ from NBW controls in the domains of Satisfaction or Comfort but reported less Resilience (effect size [ES] -0.19, P < .05), specifically in physical activity and family involvement. They reported better Achievement, specifically in work performance (ES 0.28, P < .05), more Risk Avoidance (ES 0.43, P < .001), and significantly more long-term medical, surgical, and psychosocial disorders. Similar proportions of VLBW and NBW subjects reported Excellent (15% vs 11%), Average (27% vs 34%), and Poor (12% vs 13%) profiles of health.

Conclusions: VLBW subjects report similar health, well-being, and functioning compared with NBW controls and greater risk avoidance. However, we are concerned that their lesser resilience may prove detrimental to their future adult health.