Original Article
Factors Associated with Sarcopenic Dysphagia in Older Adults Who Use Day-Care Services
Focus on Lifestyle Backgrounds Related to Food Intake
2026 Volume 30 Issue 2 Pages 44-53
Details
2026 Volume 30 Issue 2 Pages 44-53
The purpose of this study was to clarify the factors associated with sarcopenic dysphagia (SD) in community-dwelling older adults who utilize day care services and have sarcopenia, and to gain insights for its prevention and improvement.
Seventy‐eight such older adults were enrolled. Data on physical function, nutritional status, cognitive function, oral and swallowing functions, and dietary habits related to malnutrition were collected, and chi-square tests, Mann–Whitney U tests, and logistic regression analyses were performed.
Among the 78 participants, 49 (62.8%) had sarcopenia and 13 (16.7%) had SD. In the subgroup of 49 participants with sarcopenia, age (OR: 1.489, 95% CI: 1.053-1.597), tongue pressure (OR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.557-0.973), and dietary variety score (OR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.264-0.959) were identified as factors associated with SD.
These findings suggest that for older adults with sarcopenia requiring support or care, approaches aimed at maintaining or improving dietary variety and tongue pressure through continuous lifestyle guidance are necessary for the prevention of SD.
