A daily physical activity programme increased the rate of weight gain and bone mass in preterm very low birth weight infants
QUESTION: Is a daily physical activity programme effective in increasing body weight and bone mass in preterm very low birthweight infants?
Design
Randomised (unclear allocation concealment), blinded (unclear), controlled trial with a mean follow up of 25 days.
Setting
A newborn intensive care unit in a university hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Patients
32 healthy preterm infants (53% boys) who had birth weights between 800 and 1600 g (mean 1271 g), gestational age between 26 and 32 weeks (mean 30 wks), appropriate body size, were tolerating enteral feedings at ≥110 kcal/kg of body weight/day, and were not on medications other than appropriate vitamin supplements. Follow up was 100%.
Intervention
After stratification by birth weight and gestational age, infants were allocated to the physical activity group (n=16) or the control group (n=16). Infants in the physical activity group received daily range of motion exercises with …
