Dysphagia assessed by the 10-item eating assessment tool is associated with nutritional status and activities of daily living in elderly individuals requiring long-term care

OBJECTIVES: The 10-item Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) is a self-administered questionnaire for dysphagia screening, with each item scored from 0 to 4. We assessed the associations among the EAT- 10 score, nutritional status and activities of daily living (ADL) in elderly individuals requiring long-term care. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Geriatric health services facilities, acute hospitals, and the community. PARTICIPANTS: Elderly individuals ≥65 years of age with dysphagia or possible dysphagia (N=237). MEASUREMENTS: The EAT-10, the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF) and the Barthel Index. RESULTS: There were 90 males and 147 females. Mean age was 82 ± 8 years. Eighty-nine were in geriatric health services facilities, 28 were in acute hospitals, and 120 were community-dwelling. The median Barthel Index score was 55 (interquartile range: 25, 80). The median EAT-10 score was 1 (interquartile range: 0, 9), and 101 respondents a score > 3, indicating the presence of dysphagia. The MNA-SF revealed that 81 were malnourished, 117 were at risk of malnutrition, and 39 had a normal nutritional status. The Barthel Index score and MNA-SF score were significantly lower in those with an EAT-10 score between 3 and 40, compared to those with an EAT-10 score between 0 and 2. The EAT-10 has an independent effect on the Barthel Index and the MNA-SF by adjusting for covariates such as age, gender, and setting in multiple regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Dysphagia assessed by the EAT-10 is associated with nutritional status and ADL in elderly individuals requiring long-term care.