Kangaroo Care Helps Reduce Infant Mortality Risk In Premature Babies

Premature and underweight babies may have stronger chances of survival if they spend the beginning of their lives in "kangaroo care."

Health officials note that this practice, which helps in reducing infant mortality, is particularly important in developing countries. The skin-to-skin contact between the newborn and his or her mother, along with exclusive breastfeeding and time together, improve survival rates, according to a recent study. 

"Despite the evidence of numerous benefits to infants who receive kangaroo mother care, its overall use around the world remains low, and uptake varies greatly across setting and providers," said lead author Dr. Ellen Boundy and senior author Dr. Grace Chan, public health researchers at Harvard University in Boston, in an email to Reuters Health. "Hopefully our study will provide a clear picture of the evidence on kangaroo mother care to help clinicians, families and policy-makers understand the benefits implementing this practice can have on newborn health."

Statistics show that close to 4 million infants die every year in their first weeks of life, with premature or low birth weight babies facing a higher risk for developmental delays, chronic illness and even death, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 

The study findings revealed that based on 124 previously published studies, kangaroo care was linked with a 36 percent lower mortality rate among low birth weight newborns when compared to those who received conventional care.

While scientists aren't exactly certain how kangaroo care helps these vulnerable infants, they believe that the skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby helps newborns maintain a healthy body temperature and also encourages breastfeeding. 

The study is published in the journal Pediatrics.

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