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Relationship between swallowing functions and health‐related quality of life among community‐dwelling dependent older individuals
Author(s) -
Morisaki Naoko
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
japan journal of nursing science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.363
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1742-7924
pISSN - 1742-7932
DOI - 10.1111/jjns.12168
Subject(s) - swallowing , medicine , dysphagia , quality of life (healthcare) , psychological intervention , gerontology , activities of daily living , physical therapy , dentistry , psychiatry , surgery , nursing
Aim This study analyzed the association between swallowing function levels and health‐related quality of life ( QOL ) among community‐dwelling dependent older persons in Japan. Methods A cross‐sectional survey of a purposive sample of community‐dwelling dependent older individuals in Japan was conducted. Two swallowing functions (tongue pressure and lip‐closure force), the risk of dysphagia, and health‐related QOL ( SF ‐8) were surveyed. Results There were 86 (38.2%) men and 139 (61.8%) women, with a mean age of 81.6 ± 7.4 years. The activities of daily living‐20 evaluation yielded a total score of 46.39 ± 10.18. The elderly participants had decreased swallowing functions. The risk‐of‐dysphagia score demonstrated a significant negative correlation with respect to the SF ‐8 subcategory scores. Moreover, the multiple regression analyses indicated that three variables exhibited significant negative differences: general health perceptions, mental health ( SF ‐8 subarea), and activities of daily living. Conclusion An increasing risk of dysphagia can lead to a deterioration in the health‐related QOL among community‐dwelling dependent older individuals. This implies that homecare interventions that address the deterioration of swallowing and the risk of dysphagia could be in high demand in the future.