Validation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Italian version of the paediatric eating assessment tool (I-PEDI-EAT-10) in genetic syndromes

BackgroundThe Pediatric Eating Assessment Tool (PEDI-EAT-10) is a reliable and valid tool for rapid identification of dysphagia in patients aged 18 months to 18 years.AimsTo translate and adapt the PEDI-EAT-10 into the Italian language and evaluate its validity and reliability.Methods & ProceduresThe translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the tool consisted of five stages: initial translation, synthesis of the translations, back translation, expert committee evaluation and test of the prefinal version. The internal consistency of the translated tool was analysed in a clinical group composed of 200 patients with special healthcare needs aged between 18 months and 18 years. They were consecutively enrolled at the Rare Disease Unit, Paediatrics Department, Fondazione Policlinico Agostino Gemelli-IRCCS, Rome. For test-retest reliability, 50 caregivers filled in the PEDI-EAT-10 questionnaire for a second time after a 2-week period. Construct validity was established by comparing data obtained from patients with data from healthy participants (n = 200). The study was approved by the local ethics committee.Outcomes & ResultsPsychometric data obtained from patients (104 M; mean age = 8.08 +/- 4.85 years; median age = 7 years) showed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89) and test-retest reliability (Pearson r = 0.99; Spearman r = 0.96). A total of 30% of children were classified as having a high risk of penetration/aspiration. The Italian PEDI-EAT-10 mean total score of the clinical group was significantly different from that resulting from healthy participants.Conclusions & ImplicationsThe PEDI-EAT-10 was successfully translated into Italian, validated and found to be a reliable one-page rapid screening tool to identify dysphagia in children and adolescents with special needs.

Automated summary

This study successfully translated and validated the PEDI-EAT-10 tool in Italian, demonstrating its reliability and validity in identifying dysphagia in children and adolescents with special needs.