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Implications of kangaroo care for growth and development in preterm infants

Virginia L Dodd1

  • 1Connecticut Children's Medical Center, 131 Lake St., Manchester, CT 06040, USA. gdodd@snet.net

Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing : JOGNN
|March 23, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Kangaroo care is safe for preterm infants, potentially improving growth and development. Further research is needed to confirm its impact on infant weight gain.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care
  • Developmental pediatrics
  • Parent-infant attachment

Background:

  • Preterm infants face unique challenges in growth and development.
  • Kangaroo care (KC) involves skin-to-skin contact between infant and caregiver.
  • The impact of KC on preterm infant outcomes requires ongoing investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review existing research on kangaroo care for preterm infants.
  • To assess the implications of KC for infant growth and development.
  • To identify areas for future research in KC.

Main Methods:

  • Literature search of nursing, medical, and child development research via PubMed (through 2003).
  • Keywords included: kangaroo care, skin-to-skin, growth/development, premature infants.
  • Review of randomized controlled trials, comparative studies, and parent perspective reports.

Main Results:

  • Kangaroo care is physiologically safe for preterm infants.
  • KC is associated with increased parent-infant attachment.
  • The effect of KC on infant weight gain requires further study.

Conclusions:

  • Kangaroo care is a safe intervention for preterm infants.
  • KC may offer significant benefits for infant growth and development.
  • Further research is recommended to elucidate the specific effects of KC on preterm infants.
Abstract

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