Three distinct trajectories of early oral feeding ability in preterm infants and their associated clinical factors
- 1Department of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong Medical and Pharmaceutical University , , ,
- 2Department of Nursing, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong Medical and Pharmaceutical University , , ,
Abstract
Background: Globally, approximately 13.4 million infants are born preterm each year, and difficulties during the transition to oral feeding are common among preterm infants during NICU hospitalization. Existing studies on oral feeding ability in preterm infants are predominantly cross-sectional, failing to identify underlying heterogeneity. This study used latent class growth modeling (LCGM) to identify trajectories of oral feeding ability during the first 14 days after oral feeding initiation and examine clinical characteristics associated with trajectory membership.
Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled preterm infants (gestational age 28–32 weeks) from a tertiary hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) between May 2025 and April 2026. Oral feeding ability was assessed at Days 1, 3, 7, 10, and 14 using the Oral Feeding Ability Scale for Preterm Infants. LCGM identified trajectories; multinomial logistic regression examined factors associated with trajectory membership.
Results: Of the 245 enrolled infants, 213 (86.9%) completed all five scheduled assessments. Scores increased significantly from 22.03 ± 2.95 on Day 1 to 34.41 ± 3.67 on Day 14 (p < 0.001). Three trajectories were identified: high-start rapid-rise (31.5%), moderate-start accelerated catch-up (44.6%), and low-start slow-rise (23.9%). Variables associated with trajectory membership included gestational age, birth weight, postmenstrual age (PMA) at oral feeding initiation, mechanical ventilation, illness severity (Neonatal Medical Index, NMI), and pre-feeding behavioral state.
Conclusions: Significant heterogeneity was observed in the developmental trajectories of early oral feeding ability. In this exploratory single-center cohort of formula-fed preterm infants, clinical characteristics were associated with trajectory membership; these findings should be considered associative and hypothesis-generating rather than predictive.
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BibTeX
@article{tang2026three,
title = {{Three distinct trajectories of early oral feeding ability in preterm infants and their associated clinical factors}},
author = {Xiuru Tang and Yanan Zhu and Yumei Wu and Shiyan Sun and Minmin Zhou and Xiurong Yu},
journal = {Frontiers in pediatrics},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fped.2026.1924274},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727523},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Three distinct trajectories of early oral feeding ability in preterm infants and their associated clinical factors
AU - Xiuru Tang
AU - Yanan Zhu
AU - Yumei Wu
AU - Shiyan Sun
AU - Minmin Zhou
AU - Xiurong Yu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Frontiers in pediatrics
DO - 10.3389/fped.2026.1924274
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727523
AB - Background: Globally, approximately 13.4 million infants are born preterm each year, and difficulties during the transition to oral feeding are common among preterm infants during NICU hospitalization. Existing studies on oral feeding ability in preterm infants are predominantly cross-sectional, failing to identify underlying heterogeneity. This study used latent class growth modeling (LCGM) to identify trajectories of oral feeding ability during the first 14 days after oral feeding initiation and examine clinical characteristics associated with trajectory membership. Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled preterm infants (gestational age 28–32 weeks) from a tertiary hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) between May 2025 and April 2026. Oral feeding ability was assessed at Days 1, 3, 7, 10, and 14 using the Oral Feeding Ability Scale for Preterm Infants. LCGM identified trajectories; multinomial logistic regression examined factors associated with trajectory membership. Results: Of the 245 enrolled infants, 213 (86.9%) completed all five scheduled assessments. Scores increased significantly from 22.03 ± 2.95 on Day 1 to 34.41 ± 3.67 on Day 14 (p < 0.001). Three trajectories were identified: high-start rapid-rise (31.5%), moderate-start accelerated catch-up (44.6%), and low-start slow-rise (23.9%). Variables associated with trajectory membership included gestational age, birth weight, postmenstrual age (PMA) at oral feeding initiation, mechanical ventilation, illness severity (Neonatal Medical Index, NMI), and pre-feeding behavioral state. Conclusions: Significant heterogeneity was observed in the developmental trajectories of early oral feeding ability. In this exploratory single-center cohort of formula-fed preterm infants, clinical characteristics were associated with trajectory membership; these findings should be considered associative and hypothesis-generating rather than predictive.
SN - 2296-2360
ER -