Study of Premature Babies Using PEAPOD to Track Body Composition, Nutrition, and Development Outcomes

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to learn how the food and nutrition premature babies receive while in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit NICU affect their ability to gain weight, increase fat-free mass, and their future growth and development. The study focuses on babies born between 22 and 32 weeks gestational age and will follow them for up to 36 months to assess these factors and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Premature babies in the study will be evaluated using the PEAPOD Infant Body Composition measuring device, which collects body composition measurements. Nutritional information will also be collected during the first two weeks of life. Researchers will study the relationship between nutritional intake, changes in fat-free mass, and neurodevelopmental scores using tools like the General Movement Assessment and Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development. Participants and their caregivers can expect body growth measurements, nutritional data collection, and neurodevelopmental follow-up over a 36-month period. The study measures how nutrition early in life relates to physical growth and brain development. Caregivers will provide consent and agree to comply with study procedures, which include periodic assessments and use of the PEAPOD device at the hospital.

Growing Little PEAPODS Study