Swallowing Dysfunction for Old People in Nursing Homes in Ningbo / 中国康复理论与实践

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the prevalence of dysphagia in old people in nursing homes in Ningbo and analyze its related factors. Methods:From August, 2017 to April, 2018, 997 people aged 60 or above were selected from eight nursing homes in four districts in Ningbo. They were investigated with general questionnaire, Kubota water swallowing test, body mass index (BMI) and Quality of Life Index (QLI), and the data were analyzed with Logistic regression. Results:There were 259 (25.98%) persons with dysphagia. Age, male, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, stroke and fracture were risk factors for dysphagia (P < 0.01). There were 19.2% with low BMI in total, and 63.3% for dysphagia. The total score of QLI decreased with age (F = 18.706, P < 0.001), more in males than in females (t = 2.516, P = 0.012), and less in those with dysphagia than with normal swallowing (t = 7.176, P < 0.001). Conclusion:Dysphagia is prevalent in the old people in nursing homes in Ningbo, which needs early intervention.