title: Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Chinese Feeding Difficulty Index (Ch-FDI) for People with Dementia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a Chinese Feeding Difficulty Index (Ch-FDI) which assesses feeding difficulties in people with dementia (PwD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Scale items were developed using literature review based on Model of Feeding Difficulty. Content validity was evaluated and items were modified by expert panel. Following translation and back-translation, the Ch-FDI was piloted on residents with dementia. The reliability was tested by inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability. Internal reliability was established by calculating Cronbach's α coefficient. The concurrent validity was evaluated by correlating with similar scale, the Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia (EdFED). The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with varimax rotation and parallel analysis (PA) was performed to test construct validity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were recruited from long-term care facilities in Taiwan. A total of 213 residents with dementia participated in this study during May, 2010 to February, 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Content validation, translation and psychometric testing were completed on the 19 items of the Ch-FDI. The translated scale was piloted on 213 residents with dementia of feeding difficulty who were recruited from eight long-term care facilities in Taiwan. The reliability was supported by the internal consistency of Cronbach's α of 0.68 and a test-retest coefficient of 0.85. The content validity, face validity, concurrent validity, and construct validity were used.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Ch-FDI is a newly developed scale with fair psychometric properties aimed to measure feeding difficulties among residents with dementia in long-term care facilities in Taiwan. Using this reliable and valid tool can help healthcare providers to assess feeding problems of PwD and provide feeding assistance in order to promote quality of care during mealtime in long-term care facilities.
authors.affiliation: School of Gerontology Health Management, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Megan F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Nae-Fang
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Science, Asia University, Taichung City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: I-Hui
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate institute of Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yen-Kuang
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Graduate institute of Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Mu-Hsing
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America.
authors.forename: Beverly L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: School of Gerontology Health Management, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chia-Chi
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design; D013624:Taiwan; D014177:Translations