The Effects of Creating an Artificial Night on the Pattern of Weight Gain Among Preterm Neonates

Background Advances in midwifery and neonatal intensive care have prolonged preterm neonates’ survival and their stay at intensive care units. One of the major concerns for these neonates is their exposure to strong lighting and thereby, increased metabolism in their bodies. Objectives The objective of the present study was to analyze the effects of creating an artificial night on the pattern of weight gain among preterm neonates. Methods This quasi-experimental study was performed in 2012 on 38 preterm neonates, who had been hospitalized at the neonatal intensive care unit of Qaem hospital, Mashhad, Iran. The neonates were conveniently selected and randomly allocated to cyclical lighting (experimental) or continuous lighting (control) groups, nineteen in each one. The data from the neonates and their mothers were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire and through interviewing the mothers, observing the neonates, and referring to their medical records. Moreover, the neonates were weighed before the intervention and also throughout the study on a daily basis. The data were analyzed via the SPSS software (v. 15.0) through running Chi-square and paired- and independent-sample t tests at a significance level of less than 0.05. Results There was no significant difference between the groups regarding the neonates’ gender, gestational age, birth weight, age and weight at the time of entering the study, duration of not receiving anything by mouth, daily calorie intake, and the length of premature rupture of membranes (P > 0.05). After the study intervention, the mean of neonates’ weight in the experimental group was significantly greater than the corresponding pretest value (P = 0.003). However, in the control group, this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.52). Moreover, the pretest-posttest mean difference of the neonates’ body weight in the experimental group was significantly greater than the control group (P = 0.04). Conclusions Cyclical lighting can be used as an effective strategy to promote preterm neonates’ weight gain.