Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Feeding/Swallowing Impact Survey

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to translate the Feeding/Swallowing Impact Survey (FS-IS) into Turkish and to test its reliability and validity in caregivers of children with cerebral palsy (CP). Caregivers accompanying the 117 children with CP who were referred for an instrumental swallowing evaluation were included in the study. The FS-IS was translated from English into Turkish by using the forward, backward, forward translation method. Parents completed the Turkish version of the Feeding/Swallowing Impact Survey (T-FS-IS) which has 3 subscales including daily activities, worry and feeding difficulties. Swallowing function was assessed with Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Study, and penetration and aspiration severity was determined according to the Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS). The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and discriminant validity of the T-FS-IS were investigated. Internal consistency was excellent with Cronbach alphas all above 0.8 (Total score = 0.99, daily activities = 0.98, worries = 0.98, and feeding difficulties = 0.96). The Intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.93, demonstrating excellent test-retest reliability. All three subscales of the T-FS-IS including daily activities, worry, and feeding difficulties as well as the total score significantly correlated with the PAS scores. Caregivers whose children had aspiration reported worse scores in the T-FS-IS total and its subscales compared with caregivers whose children without airway aspiration according to PAS (p < 0.01). The T-FS-IS is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the impact of swallowing disorders on caregivers of children with CP. It can be used in clinical practice and research. Clinical trial number: NCT03005093 .