Early postural control in preterm and at term infants

THESES

Early postural control in preterm and at term infants (Abstract)^*. Thesis. Campinas, 2004

Eliane da Silva Mewes Gaetan^**

The aim of the study was to evaluate the development of early postural control in healthy infants born preterm and at term, during the six first months of age.

A longitudinal study was performed with a group of infants born with gestational age below 32 weeks (29w3d; ± 1w4d) (mean; SD); a group of infants with gestacional age between 32 and 36 weeks (33w5d; ± 1s2d); and a group of infants born with gestational age between 38 and 41 weeks (39w3d; ± 1w). The Chailey Levels of Ability assessment was used to evaluate the supine, prone, sitting and standing positions, observing the positions and movements of the body segments and their relationship with the weight bearing. Evaluations took place at 15 days, and in the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th month of age; the gestational age of the preterm infant was corrected for 40 weeks. The presence of some interdelivery, neonatal and behavioral factors and diseases was statistically significant among the groups.

The transversal statistical study, involving 38 infants, distributed into three groups, showed a significant difference, using the Kruskal-Wallis test for the standing position, between the group of preterm infants with gestacional age between 32 and 36 weeks and the group of at term infants, in the 4^th and 5^th month of age. The longitudinal statistical study, considering 24 infants that never missed na evaluation and the preterm infants grouped showed significant difference, using the Analysis of Variance, in the following situations: prone position with the group of preterm infants, between evaluations carried out at 15 days and 1^st month, 2^nd and 3^rd month, 3^rd and 4^th month, 4^th and 5^th month and 5^th and 6^th month, and group of at term infants, in the evaluations carried out between 15 days and the 1^st month, the 1^st and 2^nd month, the 2^nd and 3^rd month, the 3^rd and 4^th month, 4^th and the 5^th month and 5^th and 6^th month; sitting position, indicating that the preterm group showed, in average, inferior results to those for the at term group; standing position, between the two groups at the 4^th and 5^th month, and within the group of preterm infants, in the evaluations carried out between the 3^rd and 4^th month and the 5^th and 6^th month and the at term group in the evaluations between the 3^rd and 4^th month.

Results from this study demonstrate that early postural control during the first six months of age developed sequentially in preterm and at term infants, however, slower in the former. The Chailey Levels of Ability assessment showed that there was a relationship between the lying (supine and prone) and the sitting positions, and between the sitting and the standing positions.

Key words: early postural control, preterm infants, Chailey levels of ability.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  24 Aug 2004
• Date of issue
  Sept 2004