Comparative Effect of Massage Therapy versus Kangaroo Mother Care on Physiological Responses, Chest Expansion and Body Weight in Low Birthweight Preterm Infants
Massage therapy (MT) and Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) are both effective in increasing the weight of low birthweight preterm infants. However no comparisons have been made until now between the two.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of MT and KMC on body weight, physiological responses and chest expansion of low birthweight preterm (LBWPT) infants.
Method: Using convenience sampling, 20 LBWPT infants from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of VS Hospital were randomly divided into 2 groups of 10 each. Group 1 received MT and Group 2 received KMC for 15 minutes, thrice daily for 5 days. Medically stable babies with gestational age <37 weeks and birth weight <2500g were included. Those on ventilators and with congenital, orthopaedic or genetic abnormality were excluded. Outcome measures including body weight, physiological responses (heart rate, respiratory rate and body temperature) and chest expansion were taken pre-intervention on day 1 and post-intervention on day 5. Level of significance was kept at 5%.
Results: Data were analysed using SPSS version 16. Both MT and KMC were found to be effective in improving body weight (p=0.005, p=0.007), decreasing heart rate (p=0.005, p=0.004), respiratory rate (p=0.018, p=0.004) and body temperature (p=0.005, p=0.007), and improving chest expansion (p=0.026, p=0.014). However, while both were found to be equally effective for body weight (p=0.341), heart rate (p=0.22), respiratory rate (p=0.969) and chest expansion (p=0.331), MT was found to be better than KMC in decreasing body temperature (p=0.003).
Conclusion: MT and KMC were both found to be equally effective, though MT appeared better at decreasing body temperature.
Limitations: Factors that may affect the physiological responses and body weight were not monitored.
Implications: Massage Therapy and Kangaroo Mother Care can be used in the community for weight gain, improvement of chest expansion and regularisation of physiological responses among preterm infants.Keywords
Authors
How to Cite
Download Citation
License
Copyright © 2014 The Author(s)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License By-NC-ND 4.0 that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access ).
Similar Articles
- Hugh Alistair Cross, Miriam Heijnders, Ajit Dalal, Silatham Sermrittirong, Stephanie Mak, Interventions for Stigma Reduction – Part 2: Practical Applications , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 22 No. 3 (2011): Winter
- Joyce den Besten, Marije Tebogo Cornielje, Huib Cornielje, David Norden Botwey, Supporting Parents in Caring for Children with Disability in Ghana , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 27 No. 3 (2016): Autumn 2016
- Judith Baart, Florence Taaka, Barriers to Healthcare Services for People with Disabilities in Developing Countries: A Literature Review , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 28 No. 4 (2017): Winter 2017
- Nizar Abdul Majeed Kutty, Dinuraj Ramakrishna Pillai, Impact of Exercise Training on Depression among People with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Narrative Review , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 30 No. 3 (2019): Autumn 2019
- Anita Kar, Bhagyashree Radhakrishnan, Trushna Girase, Dhammasagar Ujagare, Archana Patil, Community-Based Screening and Early Intervention for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities: Lessons from the RBSK Programme in India , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 31 No. 1 (2020): Spring 2020
- Khamis El Essi, Jadallah M El-Shafie, Ziad Al Hawamdah, Sami I Zaqout, Shoulder Pain among Rehabilitated Spinal Cord Injured Persons Using Manually Propelled Wheelchairs in the Gaza Strip: A Survey , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 23 No. 2 (2012): Summer
- Cornelia Schneider, Teachers’ Perceptions of Disabilities on the Island of Roatán, Honduras , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 28 No. 2 (2017): Summer 2017
- Lukoye Atwoli, Gregory E. Erhabor, Aiah A. Gbakima, Abraham Haileamlak, Jean-Marie Kayembe Ntumba, James Kigera, Laurie Laybourn-Langton, Bob Mash, Joy Muhia, Fhumulani Mavis Mulaudzi, David Ofori-Adjei, Friday Okonofua, Arash Rashidian, Maha El-Adawy, Siaka Sidibé, Abdelmadjid Snouber, James Tumwine, Mohammad Sahar Yassien, Paul Yonga, Lilia Zakhama, Chris Zielinski, COP27 Climate Change Conference: Urgent Action needed for Africa and the World , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 33 No. 3: (Autumn) - 2022
- Senthilkumar Ramasamy, Pitchaimani Govindharaj, Archana Kumar, Karthikeyan Govindasamy, Annamma S John, Changes in Social Participation of Persons Affected by Leprosy, Before and After Multidrug Therapy, in an Endemic State in Eastern India , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 30 No. 2 (2019): Summer 2019
- Maria Jakovljevic, Sheryl Buckley, Assistive Technologies in a Workplace Environment: Barriers for the Employment of People with Disabilities , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 22 No. 2 (2011): Autumn
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Megha Sandeep Sheth, Nehal Paresh Shah, Yash Ahuja, Zishan Belim Khan, Parth Parmar, Priyasingh Bhagirath Rangey, Spinal Postures of Children seated on the floor in Schools in Ahmedabad District, India , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 31 No. 1 (2020): Spring 2020
- Srishti Sanat Sharma, Megha Sandeep Sheth, Neeta Jayprakash Vyas, Fatigue and Functional Capacity in Persons with Post-Polio Syndrome: Short-term Effects of Exercise and Lifestyle Modification Compared to Lifestyle Modification Alone , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 25 No. 3 (2014): Autumn 2014
- Megha Sandeep Sheth, Bhaskar Ghoghari, Neeta Jayprakash Vyas, Presentation and Impact of Pain in Persons with Post-Polio Syndrome: A Cross-sectional Survey Study , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 24 No. 4 (2013): Winter 2013