The DOI matches its Crossref record; 41 of the 41 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Preterm infant massage therapy research: A review
Open accessAbstract
In this paper, preterm infant massage therapy studies are reviewed. Massage therapy has led to weight gain in preterm infants when moderate pressure massage was provided. In studies on passive movement of the limbs, preterm infants also gained significantly more weight, and their bone density also increased. Research on ways of delivering the massage is also explored including using mothers versus therapists and the added effects of using oils. The use of mothers as therapists was effective in at least one study. The use of oils including coconut oil and safflower oil enhanced the average weight gain, and the transcutaneous absorption of oil also increased triglycerides. In addition, the use of synthetic oil increased vagal activity, which may indirectly contribute to weight gain. The weight gain was associated with shorter hospital stays and, thereby, significant hospital cost savings. Despite these benefits, preterm infant massage is only practiced in 38% of neonatal intensive care units. This may relate to the underlying mechanisms not being well understood. The increases noted in vagal activity, gastric motility, insulin and IGF-1 levels following moderate pressure massage are potential underlying mechanisms. However, those variables combined do not explain all of the variance in weight gain, highlighting the need for additional mechanism studies.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Two recent reviews of studies with preterm infants demonstrated that moderate (but not gentle) pressure massage can increase infant growth and reduce length of stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) [128,129], although effect sizes were small.”
From Benefits of a bedtime routine in young children: Sleep, development, and beyond. (2018) · cites this paper as [128]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Across outcomes, there are more studies of massage with infants as opposed to with toddlers and preschoolers, and more evidence for the benefits of massage in high-risk groups, such as preterm infants [128,129] and infants of depressed mothers [130].”
From Benefits of a bedtime routine in young children: Sleep, development, and beyond. (2018) · cites this paper as [128]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
(1982) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/0166-2236(82)90076-5 · Cited by 9,150
Lee, J. A. H. (1986) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.1986.03370120114036 · Cited by 2,252
Nutritional Regulation of the Insulin-Like Growth Factors*
Thissen, J., Ketelslegers, J., & Underwood, L. E. (1994) · Endocrine Reviews · doi:10.1210/edrv-15-1-80 · Cited by 1,575
Tactile/Kinesthetic Stimulation Effects on Preterm Neonates
Field, T. M., Schanberg, S. M., SCAFIDI, F. A., Bauer, C. R., Vega‐Lahr, N., Garcia, R., Nystrom, J., & Kuhn, C. M. (1986) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.77.5.654 · Cited by 553
Self-citationMassage for promoting growth and development of preterm and/or low birth-weight infants
Vickers, A., Ohlsson, A., Lacy, J., & Horsley, A. (2004) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd000390.pub2 · Cited by 293
Vagal Activity, Gastric Motility, and Weight Gain in Massaged Preterm Neonates
Diego, M., Field, T. M., & Hernandez‐Reif, M. (2005) · The Journal of Pediatrics · doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2005.02.023 · Cited by 237
Self-citationMassage stimulates growth in preterm infants: A replication
SCAFIDI, F. A., Field, T. M., Schanberg, S. M., Bauer, C. R., Tucci, K., Roberts, J., Morrow, C. E., & Kuhn, C. M. (1990) · Infant Behavior and Development · doi:10.1016/0163-6383(90)90029-8 · Cited by 175
Self-citationIV. Current concepts of vagal efferent projections to the gut
Chang, H. Y., Mashimo, H. L., & Goyal, R. K. (2003) · American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology · doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00478.2002 · Cited by 172
Moyer‐Mileur, L. J., Brunstetter, V., McNaught, T. J., Gill, G., & Chan, G. M. (2000) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.106.5.1088 · Cited by 171
Stable Preterm Infants Gain More Weight and Sleep Less after Five Days of Massage Therapy
Dieter, J. N. (2003) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsg030 · Cited by 157
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 11
- Duan, 2002, Studying impact of touching on growth and development of infants, Chinese Nursing Research, 16, 5
- Field, 1996, Massage with oil has more positive effects on newborn infants, Pre and Perinatal Psychology Journal, 11, 73
- Ke, 2001, Clinical survey of improved massage method developing infants’ growth and development, China Nurse, 36, 278
- Liu, 2005, The effect of touching on healthy infants’ weight, Journal of Huaihai Medicine, 23, 137
- Liu, 2005, Clinical experience in infant massage: 100 case studies, Chongqing Medicine, 34, 301
- Lu, 2005, A study of the effect of touch on health in infants, Practical Clinical Medicine, 6, 119
- Myburgh, 1998, Exercise and peak bone mass: An update, South African Journal of Sports Medicine, 5, 3
- Na, 2005, The effect of infant massage on growth, New Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 37, 69
- Shi, 2002, The clinical observation of touching towards the neonatal health's affection, Journal of Henan University, 21, 26
- Sun, 2004, A comparative study on influence of touching on growth, development and jaundice of normal infants, Chinese Nursing Research, 18, 1468
- Zhai, 2001, The effect of massage on growth: A clinical study, Journal of Sichuan continuing Education College of Public Health and Managerial Sciences, 20, 23
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 301–317 of 317
Morton, L. (2025) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/9780197804995.005.0016
Morton, L. (2025) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/9780197804995.005.0003
Quick Reference: Core Principles of Psychologically Informed Healthcare
Morton, L. (2025) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/9780197804995.002.0010
Morton, L. (2025) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/9780197804995.002.0007
Morton, L. (2025) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/9780197804995.005.0011
Oluoch, D., Hinton, L., English, M., Irimu, G., Onyango, T., & Jones, C. O. H. (2023) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.23239859
Sharma, A., & Chahal, A. (2025) · Heart and Mind · doi:10.4103/hm.hm-d-25-00001
Baraër-Mottaz, A.-M. (2020) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/b0e229a6zed65z421fz9320z986ce24178c8
Could Affective Touch Alleviate the Negative Effects of Social Exclusion?
Wang, Y., & Su, J. (2026) · Journal of Nonverbal Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10919-026-00516-4
Prescribed Interventions to Reduce Depression
Sunzeri, F. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-14465-2_22
Buonomo, A., Minichino, M., Sgobbi, B., Blanchi, I., & Napolitano, M. (2026) · Voices A World Forum for Music Therapy · doi:10.15845/voices.v26i2.4475
Kadam, D. S., Malwade, M., & Bijle, M. A. (2026) · Cureus · doi:10.7759/cureus.113231
Barbosa, M. A., Sousa, L. P., Silva, B. J. M., da Silva, G. S., Cruz, D. S. P., Magalhães, A. C. R., Fortaleza, L. M. D. M., & Falcão, L. M. A. (2026) · Revista Contemporânea · doi:10.56083/rcv6n8-023
Santra, S., & Sharma, D. S. (2026) · Galore International Journal of Health Sciences and Research · doi:10.52403/gijhsr.20260329
Li, Y., Zhang, H., Ma, W., Zou, B., & Wu, W. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1922153
Development and psychometric analysis of the Maternal Attitude Scale Toward Infant Massage (MASTIM)
Erçelik, Z. E., & Yılmaz, H. B. (2026) · Journal of Pediatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2026.10.004
Social perception and recognition
Votinov, M. (2026) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-34080-2.00016-0
Metadata
- Authors
- Field, T., Diego, M., & Hernandez-Reif, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Miami (US)
- Corresponding author
- Field, Tiffany
- ORCID
- Field, Tiffany
- Venue
- Infant Behavior and Development
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2010-04
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 115-124
- ISSN
- 0163-6383 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2844909
- OpenAlex
- W2013619762
- Cited by
- 317
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 51 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 21
- FWCI
- 2.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Infant Behavior and Development (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- Johnson and Johnson
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH#46586, K05MH000331, MH-00331, R37MH046586)
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (AT 01585, K05AT001585)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Infant Development and Preterm Care
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Infant Health and Development
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Infant Nutrition and Health
- Keywords
- preterm infants, weight gain, bone mineral density, massage oil, coconut oil, safflower oil, parasympathetic activity, gastric motility, insulin, insulin-like growth factor I, length of hospital stay, neonatal intensive care
- MeSH terms
- Exercise Therapy, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Massage, Premature Birth
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
