Financial support to help low-income mothers visit and care for their preterm babies in the NICU
Effect of support for low-income mothers of preterm infants on parental caregiving in the NICU
Giving regular cash payments to low-income mothers of very preterm infants to help them visit, breastfeed, and provide skin-to-skin care while their babies are in the NICU.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Worcester, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11192822 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you'll be randomly assigned to receive regular financial transfers or to continue with usual care as part of a trial including 420 low-income mothers of infants born at 25–33 weeks' gestation across three level 3 NICUs. The money is meant to offset costs like parking, transportation, childcare, and lost wages so you can spend more time with your baby and take part in feedings and skin-to-skin care. Study staff will track visits, breast milk provision, caregiving activities, and measures of maternal mental health during hospitalization and after discharge. The team wants to see whether direct financial support helps parents be more involved in newborn care and improves short-term outcomes.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Low-income mothers whose infants were born at 25–33 weeks' gestation and are admitted to one of the participating level 3 NICUs are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Mothers of full-term infants, higher-income families, infants outside the specified gestational age range, or families whose barriers are not financial may not be eligible or likely to receive benefit from this trial.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could increase maternal presence in the NICU, boost breast milk feeding and skin-to-skin contact, and improve infant and maternal health outcomes.
How similar studies have performed: A prior feasibility trial by the same team showed promise, but large randomized trials of cash transfers to increase NICU caregiving are still limited.
Where this research is happening
Worcester, United States
- Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester — Worcester, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Parker, Margaret Graham Kemper — Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester
- Study coordinator: Parker, Margaret Graham Kemper
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.