Kramer and
colleagues38 provided 48 minutes of extra touch daily to
8 preterm infants, and found that those in the extra touch
group had enhanced motor development, as measured by
the Bayley Motor Developmental Index, compared with
group C infants. Adamson-Macedo35 provided supplemental
stroking for 10 minutes twice a day during the first
week of life to 31 preterm infants (with a mean GA of
32 weeks), and reported that group E infants lost signifi-
cantly less weight than did group C infants. These findings
may suggest that supplemental stroking/massage interventions
that are provided to physiologically stable preterm
infants have long-term benefits, including improved weight
gain and social development.