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Published on: February 2, 2020
Feeding difficulty in elderly patients with dementia: confirmatory factor analysis
1Department of Nursing Studies, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K. R.Watson@ed.ac.uk
International Journal of Nursing Studies
|April 29, 1998
Summary
This study identified key factors contributing to feeding difficulties in elderly dementia patients. A four-factor model, including "oral difficulty," best explains these challenges, paving the way for better assessment tools.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Psychiatry
- Statistics
Background:
- Feeding difficulties are common in elderly dementia patients.
- Accurate assessment of these difficulties is crucial for effective care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the latent structure of feeding difficulty in elderly patients with dementia.
- To compare different factor models for assessing feeding difficulty.
Main Methods:
- Multivariate statistical techniques, including exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.
- Survey design involving 345 elderly dementia patients.
- Structural equation modeling to fit latent variable models.
Main Results:
- Three models (2, 3, and 4 factors) showed good fit to the data.
- The 3 and 4 factor models demonstrated significantly better fit than the 2 factor model.
- A 4-factor model identified "oral difficulty" as a significant factor.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully modeled feeding difficulty in dementia patients.
- A 4-factor model, including oral difficulty, offers a promising approach for assessment.
- This research supports the development of reliable and validated scales for feeding difficulty assessment.
