title: Preliminary testing using Mokken scaling of an Italian translation of the Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia (EdFED-I) scale.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the psychometric properties of an Italian version of the Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia (EdFED-I) Scale.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The EdFED Scale is the only validated instrument that measures difficulty with feeding in older people with dementia. The original English version of the EdFED had three factors measuring: behavioral aspects of feeding difficulty (obstinacy/passivity); indicators of feeding difficulty; and nursing interventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants affected by dementia and living in nursing homes (n=210) were selected. Data collectors were trained to observe the residents' eating problems and their food intake. The data were analyzed using Mokken scaling and Pearson's correlation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Italian version of the EdFED Scale formed a Mokken scale which correlated in the expected direction with measures of residents' weight, Body Mass Index, time taken to eat, Mini Mental State Examination score and Barthel Index according to the unmet needs model of Cohen-Mansfield.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The EdFED-I shows reasonable psychometric properties and can be used for the assessment of feeding difficulty in Italian samples of older people with dementia. However, further work with larger samples is required to test the utility of the whole range of items and the necessity of their inclusion in the EdFED-I.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, I-16132 Genoa, Italy. Electronic address: Annamaria.bagnasco@unige.it.
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bagnasco
authors.affiliation: University of Hull, UK, HU6 7RX. Electronic address: R.Watson@hull.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, I-16132 Genoa, Italy. Electronic address: milko.zanini@me.com.
authors.forename: Milko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zanini
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, I-16132 Genoa, Italy. Electronic address: francescarosa@live.it.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.affiliation: IDI School of Nursing, University of Rome Tor Vergata, I-00165 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: genna.rocco@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rocco
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, I-16132 Genoa, Italy. Electronic address: L.sasso@unige.it.
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sasso
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000451:nursing; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D014177:Translations
keywords: Construct validity; Dementia; EdFED Scale; Item response theory; Mokken scaling; Nutrition