Matrix analysis for the identification of risk factors for choking and coughing while eating in disabled elderly individuals

Objective To identify factors related to the occurrence of choking and coughing while eating in the disabled elderly and conduct importance matrix analysis to provide a reference basis for controlling choking on food in the disabled elderly.

Methods A convenience sampling method was used to select 80 disabled elderly individuals in a hospital between October 2019 and April 2022 as the study population. The occurrence of choking and coughing while eating was recorded， and a questionnaire was administered to collect general information. Additionally， assessments were conducted using the intelligent mental status examination scale （MMSE）， oral health checklist （BOHSE）， eating assessment tool⁃10 （EAT-10）， and chewing function evaluations. Univariate and multifactorial analyses were conducted to analyze the influencing factors of choking and coughing while eating in the elderly with disabilities.

Results The incidence of choking and coughing while eating was 52.50% （42/80） among the 80 disabled elderly. The degree of disability （OR=2.895， 95%CI： 1.352‒6.201）， age （OR=4.040， 95%CI： 1.121‒14.562）， BOHSE score （OR=2.473， 95%CI： 1.002‒6.102）， EAT-10 score （OR=5.345， 95%CI： 2.112‒13.527）， and chewing function score （OR=3.453， 95%CI： 1.247‒9.562） were identified as risk factors for choking and coughing while eating in the disabled elderly. The MMSE score （OR=0.343， 95%CI： 0.135‒0.869） was identified as a protective factor. The importance matrix analysis indicated that EAT-10 score， MMSE score， and chewing function had high importance with slightly lower difficulty in improvement， and were thus listed as items in the priority improvement area. Age and degree of disability had high importance and high difficulty in improvement， and therefore belonged to the suboptimal improvement area. BOHS score was slightly lower both in importance and difficulty of improvement， entering the alternative improvement area.

Conclusion Age， degree of disability， BOHSE score， EAT-10 score， and chewing function score are risk factors for the occurrence of choking and coughing while eating， while the MMSE score is a protective factor. The importance matrix analysis can provide a basis for targeted intervention in clinical practice.