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.
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“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]
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“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]
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Self-citation
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
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