This study aimed to translate the Dysphagia risk assessment for the community-dwelling elderly(DRACE), originally developed in Japan, into Korean and standardize it for the Korean community-dwelling elderly.
This study was conducted in two phases: ...
This study aimed to translate the Dysphagia risk assessment for the community-dwelling elderly(DRACE), originally developed in Japan, into Korean and standardize it for the Korean community-dwelling elderly.
This study was conducted in two phases: (1) developing the Korean version of DRACE and (2) standardization study. To develop the Korean version, DRACE was translated and back-translated. Content validity was assessed twice using the content validity rehabilitation. Based on the translation committee’s feedback, the items were modified to fit the Korean culture. Additionally, content understanding was tested with 10 normal elderly aged 65 and older.
In the standardization phase, 489 community-dwelling elderly were recruited and divided into five age groups: i. 65–69, ii. 70–74, iii. 75–79, iv. 80–84, v. 85 years and older. Internal consistency was evaluated, and test-retest reliability was assessed by re-evaluating 30 participants using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC(2,1)). Concurrent validity was verified through Pearson correlation analysis with the Korean version of the Eating Assessment Tool(K-EAT-10) in 292 participants. Area under curve(AUC) values and Youden’s index obtained through receiver operating characteristic(ROC) analysis were used to validate the utility of K-DRACE and identify cut-off values for the Korean elderly population. To compare K-DRACE score differences based on the general characteristics of the Korean elderly, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, chi-squared tests, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed, depending on data normality and variable types. Finally, standardized K-DRACE values were calculated for each age group.
The 10 experts who evaluated content validity had an average of 15.25±2.41 years of clinical experience in swallowing rehabilitation. The initial CVI was .80. After revising the items based on expert feedback, the second CVI improved to .90. Mean score of content understanding was 4.88±0.25, as assessed by 10 community-dwelling elderly with a mean age of 73.40±6.11 years.
Participants for the standardization study were recruited from a nationally representative, age-balanced sample. 503 data were collected, and 489 were included in the final analysis. The K-DRACE had a Cronbach’s α value of .815 and test-retest reliability was .834(95% CI .735-.909). Concurrent validity with the K-EAT-10 showed a significant correlation with the total score(r=.629, p<.01). In swallowing phase, the correlation was highest for the pharyngeal phase(r=.609, p=.000) and lowest for the esophageal phase(r=.257, p=.000).
The ROC curve of K-DRACE was positioned near the upper left corner, and the AUC value was .828. The optimal cut-off point for K-DRACE was determined to be 3.5, meaning that a total score of 4 or higher indicates a risk of dysphagia. The sensitivity was .768 and the specificity was .726. The mean total score of K-DRACE increased with age, with individuals aged 85 years and older had the highest risk for dysphagia. Among the swallowing phases, the Korean elderly population showed the highest total score in the oral phase(0.41±0.46). Various factors were associated with swallowing function, including gender, area of residence, house mate, health problems, subjective health status, exercise habits, self-rated changes in physical strength, nutritional status, meal preparation, self-rated swallowing difficulty, and perception of presbyphagia.
Systematically translated and standardized for the Korean geriatric population, K-DRACE can identify swallowing function at all stages of the oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal phases. The cut-off values were calculated and have good statistical properties in community-based swallowing rehabilitation in Korea. This study highlighted the need for specialized assessments and interventions for the oral phase in community-dwelling elderly.
Further research should confirm the relevance of K-DRACE to instrumental assessment. We hope that K-DRACE will contribute to effective community-based swallowing rehabilitation and improve treatment for the community-dwelling elderly.