Influence of H-HOPE Intervention for Premature Infants on Growth, Feeding Progression, and Length of Stay during Initial Hospitalization

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether premature infants receiving the maternally administered H-HOPE intervention had more rapid weight gain and growth, improved feeding progression, and reduced length of hospital stay, compared to controls. STUDY DESIGN: Premature infants born at 29–34 GA and their mothers with at least 2 social-environmental risk factors, were randomly assigned to H-HOPE intervention (n = 88) or an attention control (n = 94) groups. H-HOPE consists of a 15-minute multisensory intervention (auditory, tactile, visual and vestibular stimuli) performed twice daily prior to feeding plus maternal participatory guidance on preterm infant behavioral cues. RESULTS: H-HOPE group infants gained weight more rapidly over time than infants in the control group and grew in length more rapidly than control infants, especially during the latter part of the hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: For healthy preterm infants, the H-HOPE intervention appears to improve weight gain and length over time from birth to hospital discharge.