Evaluation of an Early Language and Literacy Program for Parents of Infants in the NICU

Shanty, Lisa; Dowling, Rebecca; Sonnenschein, Susan; Hussey-Gardner, Brenda

doi:10.1891/0730-0832.38.4.206

“…A spontaneous preterm birth is a birth that begins on its own and that happens when a woman enters prema-ture labor or when her water breaks too early. Most preterm births occur spontaneously, but some are caused by the early induction of labor or caesarean section, whether for medical or nonmedical reasons [1,2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of Preterm Birth among Mothers Who Gave Birth in Silte Zone Public Hospitals, Southern Ethiopia

Hassen

¹

,

Handiso

²

,

Admassu

³

2021

Journal of Pregnancy

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Background. A preterm birth is the leading cause of death in both neonatal and children under five years of age every year throughout the world, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The causes of a preterm birth are complex and multifactorial; many risk factors that contribute it are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of a preterm birth among mothers who gave birth in Silte Zone Public Hospitals, Southern Ethiopia (2019/20). Methods and Materials. A hospital-based unmatched case-control study design was carried out from July 15th to October 30th, 2019, by assigning mothers who gave preterm births as cases and those with term births as controls. A total of 365 respondents (91 cases and 274 controls) were selected by a consecutive simple random sampling until the required sample size was achieved. For each case, three consecutive controls were included. Data were collected using a structured interview questionnaire complement with record reviewing. The data were entered into Epi Info 7 and exported into SPSS 25 for analysis. Descriptive analysis was computed to obtain summary values for cases and controls separately. All candidate variables in bivariate analysis were entered into the multivariable logistic regression model by using the backward likelihood ratio selection methods. Finally, variables with p value ≤ 0.05 were considered as potential determinants of a preterm birth and reported in the form of adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. Results. Among a total of 365 mothers who gave live birth, 91 (24.9%) were cases compared to 274 (75.1%) which were controls. The final multivariable logistic regression analysis results showed that having history of a previous preterm birth ( AOR = 3.51 ; 95 % CI = 1.40 − 8.81 ), having shorter interpregnancy interval ( AOR = 4.46 ; 95 % CI = 1.95 − 10.21 ), experiencing obstetric complication ( AOR = 3.82 ; 95 % CI = 1.62 − 9.00 ), and having infant born with low birth weight ( AOR = 5.58 ; 95 % CI = 2.39 − 13.03 ) were found to be independent predictors of a preterm birth. Conclusions. According to this finding, mothers having previous history of a preterm birth, experiencing obstetric complication, having shorter interpregnancy interval, and having infant born with low birth weight were reported as the independent predictors of a preterm birth. Improving the quality of antepartum and intrapartum, counseling on birth space, creating awareness on family planning, and early screening of preterm determinants are mandatory.

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“…Another limitation of this study relates to the absence of data about how and how often parents read to their infants after hospital discharge. If previous studies [69,70,73,74] have indeed shown that book-reading interventions are effective for improving parental attitudes towards reading at home, as well as improving how often parents read to their infants, an accurate measure of these dimensions would have strengthened our findings. The reported results should thus be considered cautiously, with future investigation recommended to consider these variables.…”

Section: Limitations and Strengthsmentioning

confidence: 50%

“…Positive benefits of book-reading interventions on linguistic skills were also observed in samples of preterm infants [69,70], although these studies assessed interventions implemented in the second year of infant life and did not consider the effects of early infant exposure to book-reading. A separate line of studies investigated the feasibility of book-reading intervention in the context of the NICU, finding that it is well-accepted by parents and not intrusive [56,71,72]; moreover, it was found to be associated with improvements in parental knowledge about when and how to read to their infant [73], and in their attitudes towards this reading practice [74]. Nevertheless, these studies did not assess possible effects on infant language skills.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental Book-Reading to Preterm Born Infants in NICU: The Effects on Language Development in the First Two Years

Neri

¹

,

Pascalis

²

,

Agostini

³

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Background: After preterm birth, infants are at high risk for delays in language development. A promising intervention to reduce this risk is represented by the exposure to parental voices through book-reading in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). This study investigated the possible advantages of book-reading to preterm neonates during their NICU stay on their subsequent language development. Methods: 100 families of preterm infants were recruited. The parents of 55 preterm infants (Reading Group) received a colored picture-book on NICU admission and were supported to read to their neonate as often as possible and to continue after hospital discharge. Forty-five infants (Control Group) were recruited before the beginning of the intervention. Infant language development was assessed with the Hearing and Language quotients of the Griffith Mental Development Scale at the corrected ages of 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months. Results: Regardless of group membership, Hearing and Language mean quotients decreased between 9 and 18 months; nevertheless, this decrease was considerably reduced in the Reading group, compared to the Control Group. Conclusions: Reading in NICUs represents a suitable intervention that could positively influence language development and parent-infant relationships in preterm children. The study findings support its implementation as a preventive measure.

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“…Early shared reading experiences in infancy have been shown to develop a child's emergent literacy 19 . Reading provides a means of increasing adult word exposure and improving parent–infant interactions 20,21 . Few studies have examined language benefits of reading and infant‐directed speech on preterm infant early language development 21,22 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…19 Reading provides a means of increasing adult word exposure and improving parent-infant interactions. 20,21 Few studies have examined language benefits of reading and infant-directed speech on preterm infant early language development. 21,22 Reading is encouraged in the newborn period by general paediatricians and programmes such as Reach Out and Read; however, little is known about the impact of reading to preterm infants hospitalised in the NICU.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Randomised controlled trial of maternal infant‐directed reading among hospitalised preterm infants

Mayne

¹

,

Chiem

²

,

Nwanne

³

et al. 2022

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Preterm infants hospitalised in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) have limited exposure to adult words and are at increased risk of language delay. [1][2][3][4] Recent studies demonstrate expressive and receptive language delays among preterm infants, which have clinical implications on learning and social development long term. 5,6 Brain injury and environmental factors further increase these risks. 7 Greater parent involvement in the single-family room NICU has been shown to play a beneficial role in ameliorating cognitive and language delays. 8 Despite optimised room structure to encourage parental presence, several factors limit the ability of NICU parents to provide language-rich environments including infant illness, parental post-traumatic stress and depression,

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Evaluation of an Early Language and Literacy Program for Parents of Infants in the NICU

Cited by 4 publications

References 44 publications

Predictors of Preterm Birth among Mothers Who Gave Birth in Silte Zone Public Hospitals, Southern Ethiopia

Predictors of Preterm Birth among Mothers Who Gave Birth in Silte Zone Public Hospitals, Southern Ethiopia

Parental Book-Reading to Preterm Born Infants in NICU: The Effects on Language Development in the First Two Years

Randomised controlled trial of maternal infant‐directed reading among hospitalised preterm infants

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