The Effect of Massage on the Occurrence of Complications in Premature Infants Admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

According to the report of the World Health Organization in ۲۰۰۹, ۳۴۳۸ babies (۵.۷%) were born prematurely and the average hospitalization days of premature babies (less than ۳۲ weeks of pregnancy) was ۳۵ days. In America, approximately ۱۲% of low-birth-weight babies and ۸% of premature babies are born. The length of hospitalization of these babies lasted an average of ۳ weeks and cost ۱۰۰۰ to ۲۵۰۰ dollars per day of hospitalization. A baby's age is an important determining factor for his chances of survival and natural growth and development. According to the definition of the World Health Organization, babies who are born earlier than ۳۷ weeks from the last day of menstruation are considered premature. A growing percentage of the deaths of children under ۵ years of age occur in infancy. About ۳۸% of deaths in this age group occur within the first month of life, and ۲۸% of these cases are attributed to the birth of premature babies. Since the last two decades, the number of babies with low birth weight has increased mainly due to the increase in the number of premature births, and the rate of mortality and morbidity in the neonatal period is mainly influenced by the gestational age and to a lesser extent by the influence of the birth weight. The global prevalence of preterm birth is ۹.۶% and approximately ۱۲.۹ million babies per year, most of which occur in Africa and Asia.