Prevalence of swallow fatigue and its relationship with self reported swallowing difficulties among community dwelling older adults in the Indian population

IF 2.3 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health Pub Date : 2025-04-18 DOI:10.1016/j.cegh.2025.102034

Uzair Chilwan , K. Vijaya Kumar , Sudhin Karuppali , Venkataraja U. Aithal , Thejaswi Dodderi , Sahlah Shameer , Radish Kumar Balasubramanium

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Problem considered

Swallowing fatigue significantly impacts older adults, affecting daily activities and increasing the risk of disability. This study explored the prevalence of swallowing fatigue among healthy young, middle-aged, and older adults and its relationship with self-reported swallowing difficulties.

Method

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 389 participants. The Swallowing and Eating-Related Fatigue Scale in Kannada (SERF-K) and self-reported scales (EAT-10K, DHI-K) were used. Reliability was assessed through internal consistency and test-retest reproducibility.

Results

SERF-K demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.752), with individual item consistency ranging from 0.729 to 0.849. Older adults had a mean SERF-K score of 12.1, with 41.5 % reporting swallowing fatigue. A moderate correlation (r = 0.56) was observed between swallowing fatigue and self-reported difficulties.

Conclusion

These findings emphasize the necessity of recognizing swallow fatigue as a crucial factor in understanding swallowing difficulties across different age groups. While older adults exhibited a higher prevalence of swallowing fatigue, the presence of this symptom in young and middle aged adults also highlights the importance of early identification and early intervention. Addressing swallowing fatigue can contribute to improving overall quality of life and reducing the risk of disability related to swallowing in the general population.

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在印度社区居住的老年人中，吞咽疲劳的患病率及其与自我报告吞咽困难的关系

考虑的问题吞咽疲劳对老年人的影响很大，会影响日常活动并增加残疾风险。本研究探讨了吞咽疲劳在健康的年轻人、中年人和老年人中的普遍程度及其与自我报告的吞咽困难之间的关系。采用卡纳达语吞咽和进食相关疲劳量表（SERF-K）和自我报告量表（EAT-10K、DHI-K）。结果SERF-K显示出良好的内部一致性（Cronbach's α = 0.752），单个项目的一致性在0.729到0.849之间。老年人的 SERF-K 平均得分为 12.1 分，其中 41.5% 的人报告有吞咽疲劳。吞咽疲劳与自我报告的吞咽困难之间存在中等程度的相关性（r = 0.56）。虽然老年人的吞咽疲劳发生率较高，但青年和中年人出现这种症状也凸显了早期识别和早期干预的重要性。解决吞咽疲劳问题有助于提高整体生活质量，降低普通人群因吞咽而致残的风险。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

7.70%

发文量

218

审稿时长

66 days

期刊介绍： Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health (CEGH) is a multidisciplinary journal and it is published four times (March, June, September, December) a year. The mandate of CEGH is to promote articles on clinical epidemiology with focus on developing countries in the context of global health. We also accept articles from other countries. It publishes original research work across all disciplines of medicine and allied sciences, related to clinical epidemiology and global health. The journal publishes Original articles, Review articles, Evidence Summaries, Letters to the Editor. All articles published in CEGH are peer-reviewed and published online for immediate access and citation.