Trial reportThe Journal of pediatrics2013
Massage improves growth quality by decreasing body fat deposition in male preterm infants.
Trial report in The Journal of pediatrics, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review and multivariate meta-analysis of the physical and mental health benefits of touch interventions.Nature human behaviour · 2024Pooled it
- First Brazilian recommendation on physiotherapy with sensory motor stimulation in newborns and infants in the intensive care unit.Revista Brasileira de terapia intensivaPooled it
- Effect of tactile/kinesthetic massage therapy on growth and body composition of preterm infants.European journal of pediatrics · 2021Trial
- PREMM: preterm early massage by the mother: protocol of a randomised controlled trial of massage therapy in very preterm infants.BMC pediatrics · 2016Trial
- Effects of infant massage on jaundiced neonates undergoing phototherapy.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2015Trial
- Influence of H-HOPE intervention for premature infants on growth, feeding progression and length of stay during initial hospitalization.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2015Trial
- Heart rate variability during caregiving and sleep after massage therapy in preterm infants.Early human development · 2013Trial
- Comparing the Effect of Oil Massage on Phototherapy Efficacy in Term Neonates with Hyperbilirubinemia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition · 2025Article
- Potential of Massage Therapy for Improved Growth and Development Among Infants Under 9 Months: A Systematic Scoping Review of Intervention Type, Technique, and Outcome.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2024Article
- NICU sensory experiences associated with positive outcomes: an integrative review of evidence from 2015-2020.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2023Review
- The effect of sensory stimulation on apnea of prematurity.Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences · 2022Article
- Feasibility of Early Intervention Through Home-Based and Parent-Delivered Infant Massage in Infants at High Risk for Cerebral Palsy.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2021Article
- Improvement of a massage chair (BEG-100) on height growth in children with average: Human subjects research.Medicine · 2020Article
- Adult-Onset Diseases in Low Birth Weight Infants: Association with Adipose Tissue Maldevelopment.Journal of atherosclerosis and thrombosis · 2020Review
- Chinese pediatric Tuina on children with acute diarrhea: study protocol for a randomized sham-controlled trial.Trials · 2019Article
- Review of Randomized Controlled Trials of Massage in Preterm Infants.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2017Review
- Enhancing sensory experiences for very preterm infants in the NICU: an integrative review.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2017Review
- Skin to skin interactions. Does the infant massage improve the couple functioning?Frontiers in psychology · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo assess the effect of massage on weight gain and body fat deposition in preterm infants. STUDY
designPreterm infants (29-32 weeks) were randomized to the massage group (n = 22, 12 girls, 10 boys) or the control group (n = 22, 12 girls, 10 boys). Treatment was masked with massage or control care administered twice-daily by licensed massage therapists (6 d/wk for 4 weeks). Body weight, length, Ponderal Index (PI), body circumferences, and skinfold thickness (triceps, mid-thigh, and subscapular [SSF]) were measured. Circulating insulin-like growth factor I, leptin, and adiponectin levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Daily dietary intake was collected.
resultsEnergy and protein intake as well as increase in weight, length, and body circumferences were similar. Male infants in the massage group had smaller PI, triceps skinfold thickness, mid-thigh skinfold thickness, and SSF and increases over time compared with control male infants (P < .05). Female infants in the massage group had larger SSF increases than control female infants (P < .05). Circulating adiponectin increased over time in control group male infants (group × time × sex interaction, P < .01) and was correlated to PI (r = 0.39, P < .01).
conclusionsTwice-daily massage did not promote greater weight gain in preterm infants. Massage did, however, limit body fat deposition in male preterm infants. Massage decreased circulating adiponectin over time in male infants with higher adiponectin concentrations associated with increased body fat. These findings suggest that massage may improve body fat deposition and, in turn, growth quality of preterm infants in a sex-specific manner.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.