OSRA Grant Cycle 5 Public Reports : Project Title: Comprehensive Parenting Program to Enhance Preterm Infants’ Health and Development A Randomized Controlled Trial

This original research addresses the critical challenges faced by preterm infants born at less than 32 weeks, who are at high risk of developmental delays and disabilities. Despite high parental education levels in Lebanon, access to information and early intervention measures for preterm births is limited, exacerbated by recent crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Beirut blast. To mitigate these issues, a comprehensive program for parents of preterm infants, both during their NICU stay and after discharge, was developed. The program aimed to increase parental knowledge, involvement, sensitivity, and responsiveness, empowering them to track their infants' developmental milestones using a mobile application in Arabic. The study's main objective was to assess the effectiveness of this intervention in promoting preterm infants' early child development and parental well-being. The primary aim focused on cognitive, motor, and language development, while secondary aims examined various factors, including time to full oral feeds, hospital stay duration, parental stress levels, and parenting behavior.