202001 Elucidating the Role of Nutrition in the Care and Development of Preterm Infants

Program seeks Council approval for an initiative entitled “Elucidating the role of nutrition in the care and development of preterm infants.”

Preterm birth accounts for more than 10% of live births in the United States and is a strong predictor of infant morbidity and mortality. Moreover, the annual estimated economic burden for the care of infants born preterm is $26.2 billion.

Despite this public health issue, there are no accepted standards for the nutritional care of preterm infants that cover their full developmental range – from infants born at the limits of viability to those born “near term.” Specifically, significant gaps exist in our understanding of: (1) nutrient needs of infants across this developmental range; (2) factors to be considered in the transitioning of infants from parenteral to enteral feeding; (3) specific needs of preterm infants currently cared for in Neonatal Intensive Care Units; and (4) norms (e.g., growth standards, intrauterine accretion rates for essential and non-essential nutrients, biomarkers for assessing nutritional status of high risk infants, etc.) for establishing standards of nutritional care for these infants.

As such, the goal of this initiative is to invite applications to address priority gaps in the understanding of the role of nutrition in the care and development of preterm infants.

Importantly, this proposed concept aligns with the 2020 NICHD Strategic Plan and its Aspirational Goal of enhancing the survival and healthy development of preterm infants, as well as the priorities for the Pediatric Growth and Nutrition and Pregnancy and Perinatology Branches.

Program Contact

Andrew Bremer
Pediatric Growth and Nutrition Branch (PGNB)

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