A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Nesting on Posture and Movements among Preterm Babies in Selected Hospitals at Mysore

Background: Preterm babies are the most vulnerable group to get adjusted to the new environment. Following birth, the first few months acts as a transitory period during which the baby adjusts from the aquatic to the aerial environment. As a result, the way in which baby is positioned throughout this time is very important and his posture dictates the level of his wellbeing. Promoting good positioning and encouraging opportunities for flexion can prevent the problems like motor coordination, balance and posture difficulties. The correct positioning will help the baby to develop good posture and improve muscle control. Method: In this study, a quasi-experimental control group pretest- posttest design was used and non probability convenience sampling technique was adopted to select 60 preterm babies, both in experimental and control group. Pilot study was conducted, the tool and study design were found to be feasible. Data were collected using structured observation checklist for posture and movement. An intervention, nesting was provided for the experimental group. The data were collected and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The result of the study revealed that the significance of difference between the mean pretest and post test posture score which was statistically tested using paired 't' test and was found to be highly significant at 0.05 level of significance.(t(29) = 5.42 in post test 1, 46.14 in post test 2 and 56.82 in post test 3 ; (p < 0.05) and the significance of difference between the mean post test posture score between experimental and control group which was statistically tested using independent 't' test was found to be highly significant at 0.05 level of significance t(58) = 7.41, 7.89 and 8.49; (p < 0.05 ). The significance of difference between the mean pretest and mean post test movement score which was statistically tested using paired 't' test was found to be highly significant at 0.05 level of significance.(t(29) = 36.94 in post test 1, 15.59 in post test 2 and 22.80 in post test 3 ; p< 0.05 ) and the significance of difference between the mean post test movement score between experimental and control group which was statistically tested using independent t test was found to be highly significant at 0.05 level of significance. (t(58) = 8.12, 5.26 and 4.88 ; p < 0.05 ). The result shows that the posture and movement score had no significant association with their selected personal variables. Conclusion: Therefore, the study concluded that the nesting was an effective method to maintain the normal posture and movement of preterm babies.