Analyzing the Influencing Factors on Quality of Life of Older People with Swallowing Dysfunction in Nursing Homes in China

Objective To investigate the prevalence of dysphagia among the older adult population in nursing homes and unravel the relevant factors that precipitate quality of life of the older adults with swallowing dysfunction in nursing homes. Methods Based on 102 individuals aged 50 years or older, with dysphagia, and who were admitted in community nursing home, we examined the demographic characteristic, the nutritional indices and the possible quality of life related variables through a cross-sectional study. Results The reliability and validity of the C-DHI scale were proven high. The incidence of swallowing disorder risk in the older adult population of care institutions is 90.2%, and the incidence of nutrition risk and malnutrition is 67.64%. The general linear regression results show that the standard regression coefficient of FOIS is −2.75, P =0.007. The standard regression coefficient of nutritional methods is −3.84, P =0.000, and the difference was statistically significant, indicating that the C-DHI scale was negatively correlated with FOIS and nutrition methods. Conclusions Swallowing disorders are also identified as a major problem amongst the older adult population in nursing homes, as there is a high prevalence of dysphagia among this population group. There are many factors related to the quality of life. The swallowing mechanism changes significantly as people age, even in the absence of chronic diseases. More attention to controllable influencing factors would improve the quality of life of older adults with swallowing dysfunction. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Not Applicable The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: This study and the data collection instruments were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Ningbo College of Health Science. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Not Applicable I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Not Applicable I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Not Applicable The data underlying the results presented in the study are available from care institutions