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Effects of infant touch on growth-related indexes of preterm infants

Man Guo1, Qiuying Du2, Qingqing Yang3

  • 1Man Guo, Department of Pediatrics, Maternity & Child Care Center of Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao 066000, Hebei, China.

Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences
|December 26, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Gentle infant touch significantly improves preterm infants' growth and development. This early intervention enhances weight, height, and cognitive-emotional skills while improving sleep patterns.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care
  • Developmental pediatrics

Background:

  • Preterm infants face developmental challenges.
  • Early interventions are crucial for improving outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of infant touch on preterm infant growth and development.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study of 64 preterm infants.
  • Observation group received 20-minute infant touch sessions twice daily for two months.
  • Comparison of physical development and sleep quality at 60 days.

Main Results:

  • Infant touch group showed significantly higher weight and height (P<0.05).
  • Improved muscular, visual, linguistic, and emotional development observed (P<0.05).
  • Reduced nocturnal awakenings and crying duration noted (P<0.05).

Conclusions:

  • Infant touch promotes preterm infant growth and development.
  • Benefits include enhanced physical growth, sensory-motor skills, and emotional regulation.
  • Positive impact on sleep quality was observed.
Abstract

Keywords:
BehaviorGrowth and developmentPreterm infantsSleep qualityTouch

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