OBJECTIVES To assess quality of life (QoL) in a group of young adults born in 1980–1982 with very low birth weight (VLBW) and to compare this with a reference group and a similar cohort born eight years earlier.

DESIGN Telephone interview using a fully structured questionnaire.

SETTING Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit.

PATIENTS VLBW group (n = 92, 90% participation rate), LBW group (n = 119, 86%), normal birth weight/reference group (n = 69, 75%).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Objective and subjective QoL.

RESULTS Objective QoL in the VLBW subgroup who did not report a handicap or chronic health problem was lower than in the reference group (median 0.79v 0.84, p = 0.02). Objective QoL was 0.81 in the similar LBW subgroup whereas it was only 0.72 in the group of 13 VLBW and nine LBW subjects who reported a handicap or chronic health problem. Interestingly, subjective QoL did not differ between the VLBW subgroup and the reference group (median 0.87v 0.88, p = 0.5). On comparing the VLBW subgroup in the 1980–1982 cohort with the similar VLBW subgroup in the 1971–1974 cohort, objective QoL had apparently increased.

CONCLUSION The VLBW young adults had a lower objective QoL than the reference group, whereas the subjective QoL was similar. Objective QoL in Danish youngsters has apparently increased over the past eight years.