Small Babies
In 2021, CISMAC launched a large research project focusing on the growth and development of small and pre-term babies. The project is led Society for Applied Studies (SAS) in Delhi, India, together with researchers from UiB.
Hovedinnhold
The proportion of babies born preterm or at term but SGA is higher in South Asia compared to other parts of the world. Within South Asia, India has the highest proportions of preterm (13.6%) and term small for gestational age (36.5%) infants. These babies are vulnerable to serious infections and feeding difficulties. This contributes to increased risk of growth failure, death in early and later life, and neurodevelopmental deficits.
The community-initiated Kangaroo Mother Care (ci-KMC) trial supported by CISMAC in India confirmed the major survival benefit of promoting KMC for small babies, even when KMC is started at home. However, small babies surviving the neonatal period still face high risks of death, of growth failure and of neurodevelopmental deficits in later life. The identification of interventions to reduce these risks is a research priority for scientists and public health policy makers.
Research indicates that standalone interventions have modest and sometimes inconsistent effects on growth and development. The causes of postnatal growth restriction and impaired neurodevelopment are multifactorial: for greater impact, interventions may be needed in the domains of health, nutrition, and psychosocial care and support. Improving the mother’s postnatal health, nutritional status, and psychological well-being are also important to support the adoption and practice of interventions promoting optimal growth and development of such babies. It is, therefore, a priority to investigate whether interventions in the above-mentioned domains, when delivered together as a package, have a more substantial impact on growth and neurodevelopment in these vulnerable preterm and term small for gestational age infants than the benefits observed in trials of single interventions so that these infants not only survive but also thrive (Figure 1).
The trial takes place in Delhi, India. It examines the impact of an intervention package on attained weight and weight for age z score at 12 months of age among 1300 infants born before 37 completed weeks of gestation and 1300 infants born at or after 37 completed weeks of gestation and small for gestational age.
The findings will guide the design of public health programs to promote growth and development of vulnerable infants in low- and middle-income settings.
Principal Investigators: Ranadip Chowdhury, Tor Strand
