Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Infant Behavior”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,423 records · Page 79Linked to original sources

Effects of human milk or formula feeding on the growth, behavior, and protein status of preterm infants discharged from the newborn intensive care unit.

The growth, behavior, and protein status of 59 healthy preterm (mean gestational age 30 wk) infants fed either human milk or one of three infant formulas were studied post-discharge from the hospital. Formula-fed infants received either a standard term formula, a standard preterm formula, or an experimental preterm formula from discharge to 8 wk of age. From 8 to 16 wk, all formula-fed infants received the standard term formula. At 2, 8, and 16 wk, anthropometric, dietary intake, blood biochemistry, amino acid, and Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment measurements were evaluated. Weights, lengths, and head circumferences were similar for all feeding groups at discharge. After discharge all formula-fed infants were heavier than human milk-fed infants. Length and head circumference values and plasma urea nitrogen and retinol-binding protein concentrations were not different among dietary groups. Formula-fed infants had higher plasma concentrations of numerous amino acids compared with those of human milk-fed infants during the first 8 wk but not at 16 wk. There were no differences among the feeding groups in the Brazelton assessment. This study found little effect on the growth or behavioral or protein status of preterm infants discharged from the hospital who were fed either human milk or formulas designed for term or preterm infants.

Amino Acids↗

The infant's ability to self-regulate caloric intake: a case study.

A case study which illustrates the infant's ability to regulate caloric intake through adjustments in formula intake is presented. A daily record of infant formula and supplemental food intake of a normal, bottle-fed male infant was kept from 1 week to 9 months after birth. The infant's physical growth was assessed at regular intervals. Measurements included weight, recumbent length, head circumference, and skinfold thicknesses. Feeding was ad libitum, and caregivers were highly responsive to the infant's satiety behaviors. Under these conditions, the infant adjusted his caloric intake as supplemental foods were added to his diet by progressively decreasing the volume of formula consumed. His growth was well canalized and tracked very close to the 50th centile of NCHS weight and length standards. The regularity of his growth attests to the adequacy of his intake for meeting energy needs without excess energy storage. This suggests that to avoid overfeeding the bottle-fed infant, caregivers should attempt to facilitate the infant's self-regulation of intake.

Energy Intake↗

Infant visual attention in the paired-comparison paradigm: test-retest and attention-performance relations.

The visual behavior of infants in the paired-comparison paradigm was assessed with multiple discrimination tasks week-to-week at 4 and 7 months and longitudinally from 4 to 7 months. Results indicated that although task-to-task reliability was extremely variable and typically low, most measures of infants' attention averaged across multiple tasks were reliable from 1 week to the next as well as relatively stable over the longer longitudinal period. Across all groups, infants who had shorter fixations (i.e., more fixations per fixed-exposure period) during the familiarization phase showed higher novelty preferences. While infants' shift rate during test phases was a reliable individual characteristic at 7 months, it was not at 4 months; rather, data suggested that the difficulty of the stimulus discrimination may be related to young infants' shift rate.

Attention↗

Interaction of mothers with their infants who are mentally retarded, retarded with cerebral palsy, or nonretarded.

Mother-infant interaction was observed during 15 minutes of free play in the homes of 40 families with 8- to 36-month-old infants from the following groups: mentally retarded, both retarded and cerebral palsied, nonretarded MA-matched, nonretarded CA-matched. One-way, repeated measures analyses of variance followed by Tukey multiple range tests for the paired contrasts indicated that mothers of both groups of developmentally disabled infants were more directive than the mothers of the nonretarded infants. Developmentally disabled infants were more compliant than both groups of nonretarded infants. They also demonstrated an overall lower level of behavior and engaged in less verbal interaction than the nonretarded CA-matched infants. Physical contact was more frequent for cerebral palsied infants and their mothers than for all other mother-infant groups. The communicative patterns reported for these groups were interpreted according to Bell's (1971) limiting control strategy, which predicts that mothers tolerate infant behavior within their expectations and actively attempt to keep their infants' behavior within these boundaries.

Cerebral Palsy↗

Positive behavioral contrast in 3-month-old infants on multiple conjugate reinforcement schedules.

Positive behavioral contrast was assessed in two experiments with young infants using multiple conjugate reinforcement schedules. Reinforcement was produced by footkicks which activated the objects of an overhead crib mobile in a manner proportional to the vigor and rate of responding. Distinctive color/pattern cues on the sides of the objects served as discriminative stimuli for components of the multiple schedule. In Experiment 1, infants were trained with one cue (S+) only before insertion of S+ into a multiple schedule with an extinction component. A control group received S+ throughout all sessions. In Experiment 2, a multiple schedule was introduced at the outset, and responses in both components were reinforced before the introduction of extinction in the second component. In a final phase, reinforcement was reintroduced into the second component. Positive behavioral contrast occurred in both experiments. Response reduction in the extinction component was seen only in individual relative response curves. In both experiments, negative emotional behaviors accompanied the extinction component, and in Experiment 1, cooing accompanied presentations of S+.

Child Behavior↗

Care of infants after major surgery: observation of behavior and analgesic administration.

To examine pain management in infants after surgery, 12 infants were observed and audiovisually recorded for 24 hours postoperatively following major surgery. Analgesic administration, sleep-awake states, facial expression-vocalization, and care routines were monitored. A clinical pain scoring system (Attia, Amiel-Tison, Mayer, Shnider, & Barrier, 1987) was used to analyze the video tapes. Only 5 infants showed occasional episodes of quiet sleep and were awake for 50% of the observed episodes. Moaning-crying was observed in 56% of the episodes for 4 infants and in 29% of the episodes for 6 infants. Analysis using the pain scoring system showed 36% of the episodes to have scores below 14 (M = 7.7). Results indicated that pain management was inconsistent, care routines need to be changed and better coordinated, and environmental issues must be addressed.

Analgesics↗

Assessment of neonatal nurses' behaviors that prevent overstimulation in preterm infants.

This study assessed the adoption by neonatal nurses of behaviors that prevent visual, auditory, and tactile overstimulations in preterm infants, as well as the intentions, attitudes, and subjective norms related to the adoption of these behaviors. The convenience sample consisted of 54 neonatal nurses working in three Montreal region teaching hospitals. A multiple-choice questionnaire, composed on the basis of a review of the literature and the Theory of Reasoned Action, was used for data collection. The results revealed that the nurses often adopted behaviors that prevented tactile overstimulation, and that their intentions, attitudes, and subjective norms all favored the adoption of such behaviors. However, more than the half of the nurses did not frequently adopt behaviors that prevent visual and auditory overstimulations, nor did their intentions, attitudes, and subjective norms favor the adoption of these behaviors. Findings suggest that neonatal nurses lack specific knowledge in this area and that they would benefit from the completion of an evidence-based educational program on the prevention of overstimulation of preterm infants prior to their employment in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Adult↗

Infant affective responses to mother's still face at 6 months differentially predict externalizing and internalizing behaviors at 18 months.

This study investigated (a) stability and change in infant affective responses to the still-face interaction, (b) whether maternal depression affected infant responses, and (c) whether responses to the still-face interaction predicted toddler problem behaviors. Infants (63 girls and 66 boys) of European American mothers (67 depressed and 62 nondepressed) were observed in the still-face interaction at 2, 4, and 6 months. Affect and gaze were coded on a 1-s time base. There were stable individual differences in gazing away and in rates of negative affect. Developmental change occurred only for gazing away, which increased. At 18 months, infants who failed to smile at 6 months in the still-face interaction showed more externalizing-type behaviors than did other toddlers. Infants who failed to cry at 6 months showed fewer internalizing-type behaviors. Mothers' current depressive symptoms and infants' earlier responses to the still-face interaction made independent, comparable contributions to problem behaviors at 18 months.

Adult↗

Effects on behavior state of prone versus seated positioning for infants with gastroesophageal reflux.

To evaluate the effect of positioning on behavior in infants with gastroesophageal reflux, 48 infants younger than 6 months of age (range 1.5 to 28 weeks, median 13.5) with reflux were positioned continuously prone (24 infants) or seated (24 infants) during a 120-minute postprandial period, during which behavior was monitored continuously. The prone position was associated with more sleep time, 83.5 (16 to 113) vs 43 (0 to 117) minutes, P = .01. This increase in sleep time in the prone position could be largely accounted for by a tendency toward a decrease in crying time, 19 (0 to 82) vs 38.5 (0 to 91) minutes, P = .07, which is expressed further by the significantly smaller number of prone than seated infants who cried longer than 30 minutes, P = .02. A parallel reduction in noncrying awake time in the prone vs the seated position was not significant: 15 (0-51) vs 31 (3 to 84) minutes, P = .13.

Behavior↗

Neural and behavioral correlates of visual recognition memory in 4- and 8-month-old infants.

The neural and behavioral correlates of the 4- and 8-month-old infant's ability to distinguish between frequently and infrequently presented familiar and novel events was examined. Cortical event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded as infants were familiarized to two faces. During the test trials that followed, one of these faces was presented frequently, and the other infrequently; on each of the remaining 20% of the trials, a previously unseen, novel face was presented. Following the ERP phase, infants' looking times were recorded to pairs of faces, some of which had been seen during the ERP testing, and some of which had not. At 4 months the ERP activity invoked by the three classes of events was similar, suggesting that infants were unable to distinguish among them. At 8 months the ERP activity differed only between the Infrequent Novel events and the two classes of familiar events, but did not differ between the frequently and infrequently presented familiar events. The ERP findings complement previously reported data from 6-month-old infants in describing a trend whereby infants become increasingly able to respond to stimuli on the basis of whether they have been seen before, and not on the basis of how often they had been seen. The behavioral data at both 4 and 8 months were less clear cut than the ERP data. These findings are discussed in the context of the neural and cognitive processes involved in dissociating probability information from novelty detection.

Age Factors↗

Effects of nonnutritive sucking on behavioral organization and feeding performance in preterm infants.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of nonnutritive sucking (NNS) on behavioral organization and feeding performance in preterm infants. Thirteen preterm infants were observed at four bottle-feedings, two of which involved treatment with prefeeding NNS. NNS had a positive effect on oxygen saturation and behavior state, as well as on the initiation and duration of the first nutritive suck burst.

Bottle Feeding↗

Factors associated with vagal tone responses in preterm infants.

The purpose of this study was to examine factors related to vagal tone (VNA) among preterm infants receiving a 10-minute gentle human touch (GHT) intervention three times daily for 10 days. VNA was measured continuously for 10 minutes before, during, and after each 10-minute GHT intervention. Findings indicated that there was a significant relationship between VNA and gestational age, although there were no relationships between VNA and measures of motor activity or behavioral distress. There was no difference in pattern of response to GHT or level of morbidity, average daily weight gain, or behavioral organization among infants with low, moderate, and high baseline VNA levels. There was no difference in VNA comparing infants in the GHT and control groups or during baseline, touch, and posttouch phases for infants in the GHT group. There is a need for further research to examine the usefulness of VNA as a measure of stress vulnerability among preterm infants.

Female↗

The diagnosis of acute mountain sickness in preverbal children.

OBJECTIVE: To establish diagnostic criteria for acute mountain sickness (AMS) in preverbal children. DESIGN: Nonrandomized control trial. SETTING: Ambulatory. PARTICIPANTS: Children aged 3 through 36 months and adults from the Denver, Colo, area (altitude, 1610 m). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Lake Louise Scoring System was modified, using a fussiness score as the headache equivalent and a pediatric symptom score to assess appetite, vomiting, playfulness, and ability to sleep. Acute mountain sickness was assessed by combining the fussiness and pediatric symptom scores to produce what we termed the Children's Lake Louise AMS Score (CLLS). INTERVENTIONS: Parents recorded the fussiness score at 11 AM, 1, 3, and 5 PM, and the pediatric symptom score at 3:00 PM each day. Each subject traveled twice, with 1 day considered a control. Days 1 and 2 were measurements at home; day 3 reflected travel without altitude change to 1615 m; and 1 week later, day 4 involved travel to 3488 m. On days 3 and 4 the accompanying adults completed the Lake Louise Scoring System. RESULTS: Twenty-three subjects (14 boys; mean+/-SD age, 20.7+/-9.0 months) participated. The mean CLLS demonstrated no differences on days 1, 2, or 3. On day 4, 5 subjects (21.7%) had AMS, established as a CLLS of 7 or higher, and these scores normalized 2 hours after descent. Forty-five adults participated and 9 (20%) had AMS. CONCLUSIONS: We define AMS in preverbal children as a CLLS of 7 or higher with a fussiness score of 4 or higher and a pediatric symptom score of 3 or higher, in the setting of recent altitude gain. The incidence of AMS in preverbal children (21.7%) was similar to that in adults (20%).

Acute Disease↗

Abnormalities of the central nervous system in very young children with sickle cell anemia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether abnormalities of the CNS are present in very young children with sickle cell anemia. STUDY DESIGN: Thirty-nine children with hemoglobin SS between the ages of 7 and 48 months were examined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). No child had a history of clinical stroke, although 3 had a history of seizures (2 neonatal). Twenty-one patients underwent developmental testing with the Bayley or McCarthy Scales. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of CNS abnormalities in asymptomatic children was 4 of 36 (11%, confidence interval 3, 26%). One patient had a silent infarct observed on MRI and a stenotic lesion on MRA; 3 other patients had stenotic lesions on MRA. The 3 patients who had a history of seizures all had lesions consistent with infarcts on MRI. Of the asymptomatic patients who had psychometric testing, 1 of 18 was developmentally delayed. One of 3 with a history of seizures had mild developmental delay. CONCLUSIONS: Very young children with sickle cell anemia (and no history of clinical stroke) have infarction in the brain and/or stenosis of major cerebral arteries, similar to those reported in older children. These findings indicate a need for larger studies to define the incidence of CNS lesions in this age group and to determine the need for early therapeutic intervention to prevent CNS sequelae of sickle cell disease.

Anemia, Sickle Cell↗

Selection of reference foods for a scale of standards for use in assessing the transitional process from milk to solid food in infants and pre-school children.

OBJECTIVE: This paper describes the development of a reliable scale of standards for use in evaluating the progress of the transition from milk to solid food in infants and preschool children. The maturation of chewing and swallowing behavior in infants and young children, which enables processing of solid food, varies, and a scale would assist not only in the instruction of mothers and nurses but also in preventing delay in the introduction of solid food. DESIGN: A range of 159 reference foods were selected on the basis of intake during the period of transition from liquid to solid food. These foods were listed in our previous study, Validity and reliability were tested to create a scale. METHODOLOGY: Foods were selected on the basis of 50% of the subjects studied being able to eat them, and on the food groups classified by cluster analyses using the Varclus procedure of SAS. Validity, of the scale was tested by using Pearson's correlation coefficient between the scale score of selected food items and the total score of all 159 food items. The total score of 159 food items was calculated using the general linear models (GLM) procedure of SAS. Reliability was tested using Cronbach's coefficient alpha. SETTING: Public health centers in Aomori, Tokyo, Saitama, Nagano, and Okinawa (Japan). SUBJECT: Five hundred and eighty healthy mothers and children from 2 to 46 months were randomly selected and 470 (81.0%) completed the study. To avoid regional bias, subjects were drawn from northern to southern prefectures in Japan, namely Aomori, Tokyo, Saitama, Nagano, and Okinawa. RESULTS: Twenty food items were selected. By analyzing the score correlation using Pearson's correlation coefficient (R =0.97, P <0.001) and GLM (R2 =0.95, P <0.001), it was confirmed that these 20 food items adequately represented the original 159. The reliability was also found to be sufficient (Cronbach's coefficient alpha=0.96). CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrate that a scale of standards for measuring progress in chewing ability can be created using 20 food items. Such a standard will provide a useful basis against which to assess delay of solid food introduction in childhood. SPONSORSHIP: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, provided by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Project No. 07838030.

Child, Preschool↗

A participant modeling procedure to train parents of developmentally disabled infants.

Most of the procedures employed in parent training programs for handicapped children have been based on an operant conditioning model in general and contingency management procedures in particular. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of a participant modeling procedure in training parents to work with their developmentally disabled infants. Fourteen such parents received training in which a therapist initially modeled the activities with the infant and then guided the parent as she or he mastered the procedures. Five developmentally disabled infants received a more traditional early intervention program in which the therapist provided all child training. The results indicated that those infants whose parents were trained by the participant modeling procedure evidenced significantly more developmental gains than those infants receiving traditional child training. The results suggest that cognitive behavioral procedures, such as participant modeling, are an alternative to strict operant procedures in training parents of handicapped children.

Behavior Therapy↗

The effect of parental presence at induction of anaesthesia on the behaviour of unsedated Nigerian children presenting for day-case anaesthesia.

The effect of parental presence at induction of anaesthesia on one hundred and eighteen children presenting for day-case inguinal operations and the behaviour of the attending parents at induction were studied. Of the 24 children aged 5 years and below whose parents at were present at induction, 25% were distressed, while 80% of 36 children of this age group whose parents were absent showed distress. Better behaviour was observed among the children who were above 5 years of age. When parents were present 7% of 28 children cried while 20% of 30 children cried when parents were absent. In both age groups induction heart rates were significantly higher in the children whose parents were absent. All parents except one who cried and another one who was too anxious, were helpful at induction and they would welcome the same opportunity to be present at the children's induction.

Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗