Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the eating assessment tool into Persian

ABSTRACT Objective The Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) is a self-administered questionnaire which measures patients’ perception of their swallowing problems. It can also be used for determining the risk of developing dysphagia and symptoms associated with clinical response to treatment. The aim of the present study was the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the EAT-10 in Persian. Methods The English EAT-10 was translated to Persian using the guidelines of International Quality of Life Assessment. Participants included 137 patients with dysphagia and 66 healthy controls who completed the P-EAT-10. Fifty participants with dysphagia completed the P-EAT-10 a second time a week after the initial completion to evaluate test-retest reliability. Results The P-EAT-10 demonstrated a strong internal consistency. The obtained Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.94. Also, the total scores of the P-EAT-10 showed a high test-retest reliability (r = 0.98, p < 0.001). There was a significant difference between the dysphagia and the control group in the P-EAT-10 values (p< 0.001) Conclusion The P-EAT-10 can be considered a valid and reliable questionnaire for the evaluation of patients with dysphagia. The P-EAT-10 can be applied in clinical practice across Iran in the assessment and treatment of dysphagia patients. P-EAT-10 is recommended to be used in the initial diagnosis of swallowing patients.