2.3. Child variables

Infant clinical and socio-demographic characteristics were obtained at enrolment into the e-Prime study and included: sex, gestational age at birth, birth weight, mode of delivery, antenatal steroids, singleton/multiple birth, days ventilated, use of surfactant, days given total parenteral nutrition (TPN), diagnosis of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), receipt of expressed breast milk (EBM) in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and brain MRI findings. Qualitative MRI classification was performed by SJC for the 215 infants assessed at 4–6 years, and included: major lesions defined as cystic periventricular leukomalacia, >10 punctate white matter lesions, and/or grade 3 or 4 germinal matrix haemorrhage; minor lesions defined as any other lesions; and no lesions.