The effect of body position (supine versus prone) on energy expenditure and behavior of 42 healthy low birth weight (920 to 1,760 g) infants was evaluated in 66 studies. Each infant was randomly assigned to the supine or prone position for the first three-hour epoch; the position was reversed for the second three-hour epoch. The difference in energy expenditure and the percentage of time in active sleep, quiet sleep, and wakefulness between the two positions was computed. The median difference (supine minus prone) in overall energy expenditure between positions was +3.1 kcal/kg/d (interquartile range 0.6 to 6.5; p < 0.001). When only periods of active sleep were analyzed, the median difference in energy expenditure remained significant, the supine position being higher than prone by +2.6 kcal/kg/d (interquartile range 0.1 to 4.8; p < 0.001). In the supine position, the time awake was 5.7% higher (interquartile range 1.8 to 17.4; p < 0.001) than in the prone position. The percentage of time in active sleep was not significantly different between the positions, hence quiet sleep decreased in the supine position. In summary, when low birth weight infants are changed from the supine to the prone position, energy expenditure decreases, time spent in quiet sleep increases, and time spent awake decreases. These data suggest that prone is the position of choice for the low birth weight infant.
Reproduced with permission from Pediatrics. Copyright by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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