Relationship between energy expenditure and stress behaviors of preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit

Purpose This research evaluated the relationship between behaviors and energy expenditure in preterm infants receiving nursing interventions. Design and Methods This study was an explorative secondary data analysis from a previous study. The current study investigated energy expenditure calculated using heart rate-based energy expenditure-estimate across 500 repeated measures for 37 infants. Results Research results indicate that preterm infants expend more energy when they show the following seven behaviors: grimace, sucking, diffusion squirm, fist, gape face, salute, and sneezing. Practice Implications The interventions for preterm infants should be flexible, according to the infant's stress behaviors and conditions of energy expenditure.