Low Birth Weight Infants, Preterm Infants
Conditions
Keywords
Kangroo mother care, Infant development, Breast feeding, Neonatal death, Vaccination, Pakistan
Brief summary
This quasi-experimental study evaluated the impact of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) versus Conventional Care (CC) on the growth, developmental milestones, breastfeeding, vaccination, and mortality of low birth weight infants in Services Hospital Lahore, Pakistan. A total of 400 infants were enrolled and followed for one year.
Detailed description
This quasi-experimental study was conducted in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Services Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS), Lahore, Pakistan, to compare the impact of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) versus Conventional Care (CC) on low birth weight infants. A total of 400 infants (200 in each group) born between January 2020 and December 2022 were included in the study, with participants selected based on specific inclusion criteria and informed consent obtained. KMC involved continuous skin-to-skin contact between mother and infant during the hospital stay and continued at home for at least 8 hours daily. The follow-up schedule included appointments at six weeks after birth, monthly visits until six months of age, and quarterly visits until the infants reached one year of age. During these visits, the study collected data on infant growth, developmental milestones, breastfeeding practices, and vaccination status. The study was ethically approved by the research ethics committee, and data collection was conducted during scheduled follow-up visits to the outpatient department.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALKangroo mother care
Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) involves continuous skin-to-skin contact between the mother (or another family member) and the infant, aimed at promoting thermal regulation, breastfeeding, and bonding. In this study, KMC was initiated in the hospital and continued at home for a minimum of 8 hours daily.
Sponsors
Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Pakistan
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
This study employs a quasi-experimental design with parallel assignment. Participants were self-selected into two groups: one receiving Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and the other receiving Conventional Care (CC). The intervention was applied without randomization, and both groups were followed for one year to assess differences in growth, developmental milestones, breastfeeding practices, vaccination status, and mortality among low birth weight and preterm infants.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* women who were able to follow the program instructions, * permanent residents of Lahore and its periphery and willing to be part of program for the one-year time period, * live newborn babies delivered either vaginally or through caesarean section with birth weight of 1.5 to 2 kg, * gestational age between 28 to 36 weeks.
Exclusion criteria
* an infant or mother diagnosed with a life-threatening ailment, major disease, or major malformations, * early-detected major conditions arising from perinatal problems, such as severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, pulmonary hypertension, * incidence of severe infection measured as nosocomial infections requiring systemic antibiotics or infections, severe respiratory distress, and hypothermia episodes (temperature less than 35C).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| cumulative Mortality rate | 1 year | Death of baby |
| Number of babies babbles | 6 months | baby able to produce repititive incomprehensible sounds |
| Number of babies produce 2 syllable sounds | 9 months | baby able to produce words that have two definite sounds |
| Duration of Breastfeeding | from 2 hours to 1 year | breastfeeding initiation within 2 hours, exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, breastfeeding up to one year |
| Number of babies with complete vaccination | 1 year | infant receiving all scheduled vaccinations within their first year of life |
| Average weight of baby | 1 year | Weight of infant in Kg at birth, 6 weeks, 1 year, 6 months, and 1 year |
| average length of infant | 1 year | Length of infant in cms at birth, 6 weeks, 1 year, 6 months, and 1 year |
| Average head circumference of infant | 1 year | Head circumference of infant in cms at birth, 6 weeks, 1 year, 6 months, and 1 year |
| Number of babies Holding head up | 3 months | baby able to hold their head up |
| Number of babies Sitting without support | 6 months | Baby gets into sitting position without help |
| Number of babies roll over | 8 months | baby able to roll from side to side |
| Number of babies crawling | 10 months | baby able to move forward on hands and knees |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of babies with Sepsis | 72 hours | infection leading to life threatening inflammatory response |
| Number of babies with Hypothermia | 72 hours | core body temperature less than 35 degree celsius |
Countries
Pakistan
Outcome results
None listed