MORNINGNESS PROPENSITY IN YOUNG ADULTS BORN PREMATURELY: THE HELSINKI STUDY OF VERY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT ADULTS

Abstract

The authors explored morningness-eveningness propensity in adults born prematurely at very low birth weight (VLBW;  < 1500g) and in controls born at term. At age 21 to 29 yrs, 184 participants completed the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). Compared with controls, VLBW adults scored higher in morningness propensity (group difference: 2.8 scores, 95% confidence interval: 0.1 to 5.5; p = .042). This finding was confined to those VLBW adults whose birth weight was not small for gestational age, and remained similar when adjusting for age, sex, and working conditions. The finding is potentially important, since morningness is associated with beneficial health outcomes. (Author correspondence: [email protected])

Keywords:

• Chronotype
• Very low birth weight
• Morningness
• Prematurity

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Funded by grants from the Academy of Finland, the Biomedicum Helsinki Foundation, the Finnish Concordia Foundation, The Finnish Foundation for Diabetes Research, Finska Läkaresällskapet, the Finnish Medical Society Duodecim, the Finnish Foundation for Pediatric Research, the Finnish Special Governmental Subsidiary for Health Sciences, the Finnish National Graduate School of Clinical Investigation, the Jalmari and Rauha Ahokas Foundation, the Juho Vainio Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation, the Pediatric Graduate School and the Clinical Graduate School in Paediatrics and Obstetrics/Gynaecology, University of Helsinki, the Perklén Foundation, the Research Foundation for the Orion Corporation, the Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, the Sigrid Juselius Foundatiom, the Waldemar von Frenckell Foundation, Vasa Nation and Wiipurilainen osakunta at Helsinki University, the Wilhelm and Else Stockmann Foundation, and the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation.

The authors owe their sincere gratitude to all participants of the study and to research nurses Paula Nyholm, Anne Kaski, Hilkka Puttonen, and Marita Suni, and for data management, to Sigrid Rosten.