Investigation of the Effectiveness of Environmental Enrichment-Based Intervention in Preterm Infants
Condition: Preterm; Motor; Development, Infant; Therapy
MeSH terms: Premature Birth
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness the HEP
      (Homeostasis-Enrichment-Plasticity) approach, which based upon the principles of enriched
      environment (EE) and ecological theories of development on preterm infants with developmental
      delay risk.

      Thirty-two preterm infants aged 4-10 months will be randomly divided into 2 groups as the HEP
      intervention group and the Traditional Physical Therapy (TPT) group.

      EE-based intervention will be applied to the HEP intervention group, and traditional
      physiotherapy will be applied to the TPT group for 12 weeks (24 sessions).

      The demographic information of the participants will be recorded. The motor and sensory
      functions of the infants will be evaluated with, the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales
      (PDMS-2) and the Test of Sensory Functions in Infants™ (TSFI™), respectively. Additionally,
      the anxiety status of the parents will be evaluated with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).
      All evaluations will be done twice, at the end and at the beginning of 12 weeks.
    

Detailed description: 
      Premature birth is defined by WHO (World Health Organization) as all births occurring before
      37 weeks of gestation. The global preterm birth rate for 2014 is estimated at 10.6% (9%-12%),
      equating to an estimated 14.84 million (12.65 million-16.73 million) live preterm births in
      2014.

      Preterm birth results in significant healthcare utilization and costs. Families of preterm
      infants often experience significant psychological and significant psychological and
      financial difficulties. Preterm infants have an increased risk for social, cognitive,
      language, sensory processing and motor skill disorders. There are different early
      intervention methods for preterm infants, and enriched environment (EE)-based intervention is
      one of the current intervention methods that have been used recently. There are studies
      showing that EE-based interventions have neurobehavioral benefits and positively affect brain
      functions and motor development.

      There are a limited number of studies on EE-based early intervention methods in the
      literature, and these studies were conducted in different age and diagnosis groups by
      applying different intervention methods. Therefore, more studies are needed on this subject.

      In this study, it was aimed to contribute to the literature in this field and to investigate
      the effectiveness of an EE-based intervention on the sensory and motor functions of preterm
      infants and the emotional state of the family.
    

Intervention name(s): HEP; Traditional Phsical Therapy
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): The Homeostasis-Enrichment-Plasticity (HEP) intervention group will receive 45 minutes of face-to-face environmental enrichment-based intervention one day per week and online home support once a week for 12 weeks.; The Traditional Physical Therapy group will receive a 45-minute intervention, two days a week for 12 weeks.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Preterm; Infant; Enriched Environment; Sensory; Motor; Development