title: Predictors of nutritive sucking in preterm infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purposes of this analysis were to determine how select characteristics of nutritive sucking (number of sucks, sucks/burst, and sucks/minute) change over time and to examine the effect of select factors (morbidity, maturity, prefeeding behavior state, and feeding experience) on those changes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A longitudinal, non-experimental study was conducted in a Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit using a convenience sample of 88 preterm infants. Statistical analyses were performed using a repeated-measures mixed-model in SAS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sucking activity (number of sucks, sucks/burst, and sucks/minute) was predicted by morbidity, maturity, feeding experience and prefeeding behavior state. Experience at oral feeding had the greatest effect on changes in the number of sucks, suck/burst and sucks/minute.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Experience at feeding may result in more rapid maturation of sucking characteristics.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23219, USA. rpickler@vcu.edu
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Pickler
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Best
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Reyna
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gutcher
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Wetzel
mesh_terms: D001903:Bottle Feeding; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000502:physiology*; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013391:Sucking Behavior / Q000502:physiology*