Premature birth: hop on baby
Published on 18 February 2010
Latest figures show over 10,000 babies are born very prematurely, before 32 weeks of pregnancy, each year in the UK.1,2 Many of these babies go on to have some problems coordinating their movements during childhood and adolescence, meaning things like writing, doing up shoelaces and catching a ball can be more difficult than usual. This can affect children’s progress at school, their friendships with their peers and even their fitness levels. Researchers are trying to help parents stimulate their child’s physical development, using a computer-based education program called HOP-ON.
Contents
What's the problem and who does it affect?
A cycle of disadvantage
Latest figures show over 10,000 babies are born very prematurely, before 32 weeks of pregnancy, each year in the UK.1,2 Many go on to have poor motor skills during childhood and adolescence – their hand-eye coordination, balance, agility levels and manual dexterity may be affected, for example.
Children with poor motor skills can have difficulties with activities such as writing and drawing, throwing and catching a ball, and doing up buttons. This can affect their performance at school, irrespective of their intelligence.
The children tend to lack confidence in their physical ability and can be reluctant to join in with playground games and sports. They are typically less active than their peers, less physically fit and at higher risk of being overweight. Their friendships with other children can also be affected.
The children can seem stuck in a cycle of disadvantage – the less they take part in activities, be it sports or classroom activities such as writing and drawing, the less chance they have to practise and improve.
What is the project trying to achieve?
Interactive education
The researchers are developing a computer-based education program, called HOP-ON, which shows parents of very premature babies how to stimulate their child’s physical development during the first year of life.
The interactive, multimedia program combines text, photos, interactive questions and answers, and video clips. It shows parents how to encourage supervised play in a variety of positions appropriate to their baby’s stage of development. It demonstrates, for example, how lying babies on their tummy, propped on their elbows, can promote hand-eye coordination and shoulder stability, with easy follow-on activities such as encouraging the child to reach out for a toy.
Around 140 very premature babies, born before 32 weeks of pregnancy, are taking part in the study along with their parents. Half of the parents are being given the HOP-ON programme on CD-ROM (or on DVD if they don’t have a computer).
The researchers are assessing, for example, how HOP-ON affects parents’ confidence in their parenting skills and babies’ progress by one year of age.
What are the researchers' credentials?
| Project Leader | Professor C Glazebrook PhD |
|---|---|
| Project team | Dr Sarah Redsell RGN RHV PhD CPsychol Dr Samantha Johnson PhD CPsychol Dr Charlotte Beer PhD Sarah Westwater-Wood MCSP FHEA Dr Helen Budge PhD FRCPCH, Dr Heather Wharrad PhD |
| Location | Division of Psychiatry, School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nottingham in conjunction with the School of Nursing, Academic Division of Child Health and Division of Physiotherapy Education, University of Nottingham and the Institute for Women's Health, University College London |
| Other locations | School of Nursing, University of Nottingham Institute for Women’s Health, Division of Academic Neonatology, University College London Behavioural Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham Division of Physiotherapy Education, University of Nottingham Academic Child Health, University Hospital, Nottingham School of Nursing, Midwifery and Physiotherapy University of Nottingham |
| Duration | 2.5 years |
| Grant awarded | 18 November 2009 |
| Start date | 6 May 2010 |
| End date | 31 March 2013 |
| Grant amount | £116,044.00 |
| Grant code | AP1224, GN1760 |
The project team includes researchers with an impressive range of relevant expertise – in the care of premature newborns, developmental psychology, health psychology, physiotherapy, health visiting and educational technology.
Team members have direct experience of working with children with poor motor skills. They have a strong record of research into how babies who were born very prematurely grow and develop, as evidenced by numerous publications in prestigious journals.
Team members also have a track record of producing innovative, award-winning, multimedia educational materials for parents and children with chronic health conditions.
Who stands to benefit from this research and how?
Helping parents to help their own child
The researchers hope their new computer-based education program, HOP-ON, will give parents of very premature babies, born before 32 weeks of pregnancy, the skills and confidence they need to encourage their child’s physical development in the first 12 months of life.
Currently, parents often feel unsure about how best to help and support their child. Many think their premature baby is too fragile or sleepy for play in the early months, meaning babies can miss out on important opportunities to practise motor skills.
The researchers are assessing whether HOP-ON can boost parents’ confidence in themselves and their baby, whether it helps parents feel less stressed about caring for their child in the early months, and whether their babies have developed better physical skills by the time they reach their first birthday.
If HOP-ON helps premature babies develop important motor skills such as hand-eye coordination, balance and manual dexterity early on in life, it could mean the babies are better placed to tackle the everyday activities of childhood, such as writing, drawing and playing sports, which are so important to their success in school life and beyond.
References
- The information centre. NHS Maternity Statistics 2008-9.
- Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) Online. Maternity Data. Gestation. Table 27: Deliveries by length of gestation and method of onset of labour. 2008-9. http://www.hesonline.nhs.uk/Ease/servlet/ContentServer?siteID=1937&categoryID=1054
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