Diet Quality, Swallow Function, and Health-Related Quality of Life Among People with Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Abstract Objectives To describe the diet quality, swallow function, and disease burden of people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) and explore the relationship between diet quality, swallow function, and health related quality of life (HRQOL). Methods A convenience sample of twenty PwPD participated in this study. They completed various measures including: height and weight, two 24-h recalls, a time swallow test and a self-reported HRQOL questionnaire. Body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) were calculated from height and weight. Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015, a mean to assess dietary quality, was calculated from two 24-h dietary recalls. Total and component HEI-2015 scores were examined and interpreted using the graded approach (grades A-F). Radar graphs were constructed to provide visual representation of overall HEI-sores and component scores. A time swallow test assessed swallow function. The 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) assessed PD-specific HRQOL across 8 dimensions; the higher the score the lower the HRQOL. Descriptives were reported as mean ± standard deviation, frequencies, and percentages. Correlations were used to examine associations between outcome variables. Results The majority of PwPD were male (65%). The mean age was 69.7 ± 9.2 years and average time since diagnosis was 7.6 ± 5.4 years. The average BMI score was 27.1 ± 5.4 kg/m2. Mean HEI scores were 58.3 ± 12.4, translating to an F, consistent with average HEI scores for Americans. The majority (75%) had a letter grade of F or D. Mean timed swallow speed was 14.4 ± 8.4 total mL/second. However, 8 (40%) had time swallow speeds of <10 mL/seconds indicating a swallowing problem may be present. The mean of PDQ-39 scores were 22.0 ± 15.9 (range of 3.1–50.0). The PDQ-39 dimensions with the highest mean score were related to body discomfort (30.4 ± 28.0) and cognition (30.9 ± 21.9). There was no association between HEI scores, swallow speed, and PDQ-39 scores. Conclusions Findings indicate that although PwPD have poor diet quality, experience swallowing issues early in disease progression, they had a high HQROL overall. There was no association between these outcome variables. The results of this study can be used by nutrition experts to ensure PwPD's health longevity, which can help avoid eventual nursing home placement or extensive healthcare needs. Funding Sources There was no external funding for this study.