Cent Eur J Nurs Midw 2014, 5(2):72-77

An analysis of subjective assessment of swallowing function in older adults using the EAT-10 questionnaire

Petra Mandysová1,2,*, Kateřina Petržílková1, Jana Škvrňáková1,3, Edvard Ehler1,2
1 Faculty of Health Studies, University of Pardubice, Czech Republic
2 Neurology Clinic, Regional Hospital Pardubice, Czech Republic
3 Clinic of Otorhinolaryngology and Surgery of the Head and Throat, Regional Hospital Pardubice, Czech Republic

Aim: In 2011, a study was carried out focusing on the prevalence and degree of subjective swallowing difficulties in older adults. The aim was to extend this scrutiny and using the already existing data, to conduct a comprehensive analysis of relationships between the individual items of the assessment tool.

Methods: 160 older adults from 5 institutions of health and social care in the Liberec region participated in the study. They evaluated their swallowing function using the 10-item Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10). For each item, a scale from 0 (no problem) to 4 points (severe problem) was used. The relationship between any two given items was expressed using the Kendall coefficient τb.

Results: In all but one case, the relationships between the items were statistically highly significant (p-value < 0.01). All the obtained values of τb were positive. Very tight relationships existed between "emotional" items (τb > 0.7). Tight relationships also existed between selected physical items (τb > 0.6). The highest number of tight relationships was present for the item concerning stressful swallowing (τb > 0.6 for a relationship with 6 items). Tight relationships were lacking for the item assessing pill swallowing (τb < 0.5 for all relationships).

Conclusion: Subjective swallowing difficulties were present in the emotional, functional and physical areas. A very tight relationship existed between several pairs of items and it is possible that in some cases, the tool items are duplicated, i.e. redundant. The question is whether the EAT-10 is a suitable tool for subjective assessment of swallowing.

Keywords: dysphagia, EAT-10, swallowing function, older adults, subjective assessment

Received: July 24, 2013; Accepted: January 14, 2014; Published: September 30, 2014  Show citation

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Mandysová P, Petržílková K, Škvrňáková J, Ehler E. An analysis of subjective assessment of swallowing function in older adults using the EAT-10 questionnaire. Central European Journal of Nursing and Midwifery. 2014;5(2):72-77.
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