Racial disparities in health-related quality of life in a cohort of very-low-birth-weight 2- and 3-year-olds with and without XXXX .

@entity1 @entity565 @entity234
BACKGROUND: @entity1 born very low birth weight (VLBW) are at risk for low health-related quality of life (HRQoL), compared with normal-birth-weight peers, and racial disparities may compound the difference. @entity565 is the most pervasive health problem among VLBW @entity1 and is also more common among black than white @entity1 , partly due to unfavourable environmental exposures. This study explores racial disparities in HRQoL among VLBW @entity1 and examines whether potential disparities can be explained by @entity565 . METHODS: The study population was the Newborn Lung Project, a cohort of @entity1 (n=660) born VLBW in 2003-2004 in Wisconsin, USA, who were followed up at age 2-3. Multilevel linear regression models were used to examine the contributions of @entity565 , neighbourhood disadvantage, and other @entity1 and family socio-demographic covariates, to racial disparities in HRQoL at age 2-3. A @entity1 's HRQoL was measured using the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0. RESULTS: VLBW, black, non-Hispanic @entity1 , on average, score nearly 4 points lower (p<0.01) on HRQoL than do white, non-Hispanic @entity1 . Including @entity565 reduces the difference between black and white @entity1 from -3.6 (p<0.01) to 0.08 (p>0.05). The authors found no evidence that the relationship between @entity565 and HRQoL differs by race. The interaction between neighbourhood disadvantage and @entity565 is statistically significant, with further examination suggesting that racial disparities are particularly pronounced in the most advantaged neighbourhoods. CONCLUSION: The authors found that the @entity234 in HRQoL among 2-3-year-old VLBW @entity1 likely stems from a high prevalence of @entity565 . Neighbourhood attributes did not further explain the disparity, as the racial difference was particularly pronounced in advantaged neighbourhoods.
