Risk for Dysphagia and Nutritional Status in Community-dwelling Elders

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine risk for dysphagia in community-dwelling elders and to identify the level of risk and factors influencing nutritional status. Methods: During March and April, 2013, face-to-face interviews or self-reports were conducted with 292 elders. The research tools were the Dysphagia Risk Assessment Scale and Full MNA(Mini Nutritional Assessment). Results: The risk for dysphagia had a mean score of 9.23 points and 63.7% of the participants were in the risk group. The mean score for nutritional status was 22.28. Over half of the participants (56.2%) were regarded as being in the risk group for malnutrition, whereas 8.2% were regarded as being in the malnutrition group. In terms of the factors influencing nutritional status, the most significant factor was risk for dysphagia, followed by educational level and calf circumference. Conclusion: The findings indicate that more than half of the community-dwelling elders were at risk for dysphagia or in a state of malnutrition risk. The risk for dysphagia was a major factor influencing nutritional status. Therefore, dysphagia should be considered as a major health problem in older adults and should be assessed and managed early enough to avoid malnutrition.