Relationship between Daily Vocalizations and Oral Frail in Community High-Spirited People

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K21119
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0908:Society medicine, nursing, and related fields
• Research Institution: Oita University
• Principal Investigator: Abe Yoshimi 大分大学, 医学部, 助教 (30962998)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-08-31 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 日常の発声 / オーラルフレイル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed to clarify the actual conditions of the daily vocalizations of community-dwelling older adults and examine the relationship between daily vocalization and oral, swallowing, and vocalization functions.
The participants were 60 older adults (19 men and 41 women) requiring ≦3 long-term care who attended a daycare center. The participants’ average age was 83.9 years. Opportunities for daily vocalization were surveyed for “talking to individuals,” ”talking to non-people,” and “vocalizing alone.” Of the participants, 98.3% had daily vocalization opportunities, regardless of whether they lived with family members. Statistical analysis showed that those who reported of “talking to non-people” daily were smoother, suggesting an association with oral frailty.

Free Research Field

老年看護学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

超高齢社会が進展し、健康寿命の延伸は喫緊の課題となっている。オーラルフレイルの概念はそのような中で創出され、オーラルフレイルの予防は、フレイル予防、介護予防とも関連し、健康寿命の延伸につながる。本研究では、高齢者の日常の発声とオーラルフレイルとの関連について調査・分析を行った。研究の成果は、オーラルフレイル予防に向けたレクリエーション等のケア介入にエビデンスを与え、より効果的なケア実践を導くことが期待できる。また、高齢者自身が日常的に実施できるオーラルフレイル予防活動の方法論を確立する一助となる。