Association between dysphagia and activities of daily living in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Key Summary Points Aim To elucidate the relationship between dysphagia and ADL in older adults. Finding Swallowing disorder in older adults was associated with a lower ability to perform ADL, and there was a negative association between the prevalence of dysphagia and ADLs in older adults. Message The capacity to perform ADL is significantly associated with dysphagia. Purpose Numerous epidemiological studies have suggested a possible association between dysphagia and the risk of decline in Activities of daily living (ADL) among older adults. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to elucidate the relationship between dysphagia and ADL in older adults. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, Ebsco, MEDLINE, Wiley, CINAHL, and Ovid databases were comprehensively examined for relevant studies published up to October 31, 2022. Quantitative studies published in English were included to explore the relationship between dysphagia and ADL in people aged 65 years and older. The NIH Quality Assessment Tool was used to assess the study quality. R software was used to draw forest plots and I 2 was employed to indicate study heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis was performed using the one-by-one exclusion method. Publication bias was measured using funnel plots and Egger’s test. Results A total of 3,498 studies were retrieved from the database, 22 of which were eventually included in the systematic evaluation, and 14 of which were subjected to meta-analysis. Data from nine studies were categorical variables, and meta-analysis results showed that swallowing disorders in older adults were associated with a lower ability to perform ADL (OR = 3.39, 95% CI: 2.55–4.50, p