BACKGROUND: Recently, the survival rate of premature infants increases year by year, but the cerebral growth of premature infants is immature, so the intellectual development of premature infants is slower than that of normal infants.OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of family-oriented early intervention,which took material nutrition, information stimulation and petting as main interventional content, on level of intellectual development in premature infants in infantile age.DESIGN: Randomized sampling controlled observation.SETTING: Department of Pediatrics, Clinical Medical College of ShanPARTICIPANTS: Totally 35 premature infants of 31-36 weeks (18 males and 17 females) were enrolled as early interventional subjects, who were born at Jinan Municipal Central Hospital between May 2000 and July 2002. Meanwhile, 33 premature infants of 31-36 weeks (18 males and 15females) born in the same period and 49 mature neonates (26 males and 23females) were enrolled in control group.METHODS: The family-oriented early intervention, which considered nutrition, information stimulation and petting as chief interventional content,were performed in premature infants, and health archives was established.Taction and point massage were conducted. Home visit was done twice in one month. One routine health examination was determined at 3, 6 and 10months in the two control groups. The level of intellectual development was assessed in infants of 10-month old of each group with Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) and Japanese S-M Social Living Ability Scale.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Evaluation of level of intellectual development in infants of each group.RESULTS: In the premature interventional group, 1 premature infant died, 2 withdrew from the study, and 32 eligible cases with the eligible rate of 91.4%; Among the 33 premature infants in the premature control group, there were 3 withdrawing from the study, and 30 eligible cases with the eligible rate of 90.9%. Among the 49 infants in the term infant control group, there were 3 withdrawing from the study and 46 eligible cases with the eligible rate of 93.9%. ①Developmental quotient (DQ) at each area of Gesell and evaluation of Japanese S-M Social Living Ability Scale were significantly higher in the premature interventional group than those in the premature control group at 10 months old. There were extremely significant differences in suitability, fine activity, language and individual social behavior. ②DQ at each area of Gesell and evaluation result of Japanese S-M Social Living Ability Scale were lower in the premature interventional group than those in the term infant control group at 10 months old, which had obvious difference. ③Evaluation in premature infants aged oyer 35 weeks of the interventional group was lower than that in the term infant control group, but there was insignificant difference (P ＞ 0.05).CONCLUSION: Early intervention has a marked effect in improving the intellectual developme nt of premature infants, and some premature infants can recover to the level of term infants in intelligence development after intervention.