Association of T-EAT-10 and NUFFE-TR scores with a history of aspiration pneumonia in nursing home residents: a cross-sectional study

Aging is associated with physiological changes that increase vulnerability to malnutrition and oropharyngeal dysphagia, both of which are prevalent in nursing homes and major risk factors for aspiration pneumonia. This study aimed to evaluate the association of the Turkish Eating Assessment Tool (T-EAT-10) and the Nutritional Form for the Elderly (NUFFE-TR) with a history of aspiration pneumonia in nursing home residents. This cross-sectional study included 415 residents aged 65 and older in Ankara, Turkey. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews using a sociodemographic form, the 10-item T-EAT-10 for dysphagia screening, and the 12-item NUFFE-TR for malnutrition risk assessment. Aspiration pneumonia history was obtained from medical records. Logistic regression and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed to identify independently associated factors and determine optimal diagnostic thresholds. The prevalence of aspiration pneumonia was 10.1%. Residents with aspiration pneumonia had significantly higher median T-EAT-10 (24.0 vs. 4.0; p < 0.001) and NUFFE-TR (11.0 vs. 3.0; p < 0.001) scores. In multivariate logistic regression, the T-EAT-10 total score emerged as the only factor independently associated with a history of aspiration pneumonia (OR = 1.125, 95% CI [1.069–1.184], p < 0.001). ROC analysis showed excellent discriminative ability for the T-EAT-10 (AUC = 0.886, p < 0.0001). The optimal cut-off value for identifying a history of aspiration pneumonia was T-EAT-10 > 12 (sensitivity: 80.95%, specificity: 83.11%). The T-EAT-10 is a practical and highly effective screening tool for identifying aspiration pneumonia risk in institutionalized elderly populations. A clinical threshold of >12 is recommended for identifying high-risk residents, which is substantially higher than the standard dysphagia screening cut-off. Systematic screening using T-EAT-10 and NUFFE-TR should be integrated into routine geriatric care in nursing homes to improve preventive strategies.