"Weigh Easy": Use of an At-Home Weight Reporting System to Improve Weight Monitoring in Infants With a Cleft

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
• Craniofacial Anomaly Management
• Health Technology Assessment

Background:

• Infants with cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) often face feeding and weight gain challenges.
• Accurate and timely weight monitoring is crucial for managing nutritional status in these infants.
• Traditional weight checks require clinic visits, potentially delaying interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of an at-home weight reporting system in maintaining infant weight stability.
• To evaluate parental satisfaction with using an at-home scale for infants with CLP.
• To compare the effectiveness of at-home monitoring versus standard clinical weight checks.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort of infants (0-3 months) with CLP used the 'Weigh Easy' at-home scale for weekly weight tracking.
• A retrospective cohort of infants with CLP served as a control group, relying on standard healthcare appointment weight checks.
• The primary outcome measure was weight loss or plateau, analyzed using logistic regression and median weight changes.

Main Results:

• Infants using the at-home system were significantly less likely to experience destabilizing weight loss compared to the control group (e.g., OR=0.09 at 30g/day, P=.001).
• The prospective group had a higher median number of weight changes (12 vs. 4, P<.001) over 90 days, indicating more frequent monitoring.
• Parental satisfaction was high: 94.1% preferred home weighing, and 88.2% would recommend the 'Weigh Easy' scale.

Conclusions:

• The 'Weigh Easy' at-home scale effectively supports weight stability in infants with CLP.
• This system enables quicker identification of feeding and nutritional issues compared to standard clinical monitoring.
• Home-based weight monitoring enhances parental involvement and satisfaction in infant care.