Prevalence of swallowing problems and related quality of life of geriatric population in care and attention homes in Hong Kong

Abstract

Prevalence of dysphagia and related quality of life were commonly investigated in the USA, Australia and other countries while there had no similar studies in Hong Kong. Thus, the present study aimed to 1) examine the prevalence of dysphagia in the geriatric population in Hong Kong, 2) investigate the related quality of life of the dysphagic elderly using SAPP. Study 1 involved 234 participants while study 2 involved 80 participants including 31 dysphagic participants and 48 non-dysphagic participants. Results from study 1 showed a prevalence rate of 51.71% of dysphagia in the target subject group while study 2 showed significant differences in the quality of life between the dysphagic and non-dysphagic participants. The findings in the two studies highlighted the importance of management of dysphagia the future and the importance of quantifying the impact of dysphagia on the individual‟s quality of life in the management of dysphagia.