Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40375176›Full record

ArticleBMC pediatrics2025

CuddleCard: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of providing financial support to low-income mothers of preterm infants on parental caregiving in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Margaret McConnell, Alya Alsager, Plyce Fuchu, Shrivaths Sriprasad, Lindsey Simoncini, Mari-Lynn Drainoni, Erika G Cordova-Ramos, Michelle-Marie Peña, Laura Madore, Nikita S Kalluri and 5 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC pediatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06362798 (Effect of Support for Low-Income Mothers of Preterm Infants on Parental Caregiving in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT06362798 narecruitingnot on this map

Effect of Support for Low-Income Mothers of Preterm Infants on Parental Caregiving in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Massachusetts, WorcesterRan2024 to 2028Enrolled420ConditionsPreterm Birth, Low, Birthweight, Extremely (999 Grams or Less)ArmsFinancial Transfers
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Margaret McConnellDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Building 1, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. mmcconne@hsph.harvard.edu.
Alya AlsagerDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Building 1, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
Plyce FuchuDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
Shrivaths SriprasadDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
Lindsey SimonciniDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
Mari-Lynn DrainoniSection of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
Erika G Cordova-RamosEvans Center for Implementation and Improvement Sciences, Department of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
Michelle-Marie PeñaDivision of Neonatology, Emory University School of Medicine and Children'S Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Laura MadoreDepartment of Pediatrics, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA, USA.
Nikita S KalluriDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
Michael SilversteinBrown University School of Public Health and Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute, Providence, RI, USA.
Heather SchofieldDepartment of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Martha J FarahCenter for Neuroscience & Society, Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Günther FinkSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Margaret G ParkerDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.

Funding

Effect of support for low-income mothers of preterm infants on parental caregiving in the NICUR01HD109293 · NICHD · UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER · PI Margaret McConnell, Margaret Graham Kemper Parker · 2022 to 2026
$3.5M
Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health of the National Institutes of Health K12HD085850Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 1R01HD109293 - 01March of Dimes Foundation 6 - 23FY - 0012NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD109293
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPreterm birth is a leading cause of childhood mortality and developmental disabilities, with persistent socioeconomic disparities in incidence and outcomes. Maternal presence during prolonged neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization is critical for preterm infant health, enabling mothers to provide breast milk, directly breastfeed, and engage in skin-to-skin care-all of which promote infant physiological stability and neurodevelopment. Low-income mothers face significant barriers to visiting the NICU and participating in caregiving due to financial burdens and the psychological impact of financial stress. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of financial transfers in promoting maternal caregiving behaviors that directly impact preterm infant health outcomes during NICU hospitalization.

methodsWe will conduct a two-arm, single-blinded randomized controlled trial with 420 Medicaid-eligible mothers of infants born between 24 weeks 0 days to 34 weeks 1 day gestation across four Level 3 NICUs in Georgia and Massachusetts. Mothers in the intervention arm will receive standard of care enhanced with weekly financial transfers and will be informed that these funds are intended to help them spend more time with their infants in the NICU. All participants will be provided with a hospital-grade breast pump and educational materials on the benefits of breast milk and skin-to-skin care. Participants will complete surveys during their infant's hospitalization and following discharge, capturing outcomes related to maternal mental and physical health, caregiving behaviors, cognitive function, financial and socioeconomic factors, infant health and growth, and perceptions of NICU care quality. Primary outcomes are the provision of breast milk and engagement in skin-to-skin care. Secondary outcomes include infant growth and health outcomes, NICU visitation, financial and socioeconomic hardship, maternal physical and mental health measures, cognitive function, and perception of NICU care quality. DISCUSSION: This study will provide evidence of the impact of financial transfers on maternal caregiving behaviors in the NICU, addressing critical gaps in our understanding of how financial stress affects low-income mothers. Findings may inform health policy, particularly regarding Medicaid coverage of non-medical services, and contribute to understanding how to address disparities in preterm infant care.

trial registrationThe trial was prospectively registered with the American Economic Association Trial Registry, the primary registry for academic economists conducting policy trials, on 16 April 2024 (AEARCTR-0013256). It was also registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06362798) on 10 April 2024.

Indexed as

Infant, PrematureIntensive Care Units, NeonatalMothersPovertyBreast FeedingFemaleHumansInfant, NewbornKangaroo-Mother Care MethodMedicaidRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSingle-Blind MethodUnited StatesBreastfeedingFinancial transfersPreterm birthRandomized controlled trialSkin-to-skin

Identifiers

PMID40375176
PMCPMC12079866

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.