Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a simple head movement test for swallowing, measuring the External occipital protuberance- seventh cervical vertebra distance (OC7) and Chin- chest distance (CCD), and verify its reliability and validity.
Methods: This study included elderly patients attending day rehabilitation centers. The OC7 at rest, OC7 at maximal extension in a passive movement, OC7 at maximal flexion in a passive movement, CCD, Head range of motion (ROM), Genio- thyroid distance (GT)/Thyroid- sternum distance (TS) measurements were taken. Additionally, the Repetitive saliva swallowing test (RSST) and Eating assessment tool- 10 were performed. Intra- and interrater reliability were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC 1.1 and ICC 2.1, respectively). The criterion and construct validity were evaluated by evaluating the correlations between the measures using Pearson’s product-rate and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients.
Results: A total of 36 subjects were included in this study. Although all items showed significant results (ICC = 0.29–0.98) for intra- and interrater reliability, the interrater reliability of the OC7 at rest and extension was low (ICC < 0.5). Regarding criterion validity, significant correlations (r = 0.331–0.482) were observed between the OC7 at flexion, OC7 at flexion- extension, and CCD and the TS and GT + TS. Regarding construct validity, significant correlations (r = –0.371 to 0.405) were observed only between the RSST and ROM and the OC7 at extension.
Conclusions: The intra- and interrater reliability, criterion validity, and construct validity of the OC7 and CCD were verified. Further longitudinal studies involving patients with severe dysphagia and examination of dysphagia- related factors, such as muscle strength, are needed to verify our results.