Validation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Italian version of the Pediatric Eating Assessment Tool (I-PEDI-EAT-10) in genetic syndromes

Background The 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. Aim To translate and adapt the PEDI-EAT-10 into the Italian language and evaluate its validity and reliability. Methods The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the tool consisted of five stages: initial translation, synthesis of the translations, back translation, expert committee and test of the prefinal version. The internal consistency of the translated tool was analyzed in a clinical group composed of 200 patients with special health care needs aged between 18 months and 18 years. 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. Results Psychometric data obtained from patients (104 M; mean age 8.08 ± 4.85 years; median age 7 years) showed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach’s α= 0.89) and test-retest reliability (Pearson r = 0.99; Spearman r = 0.96). Thirty percent of children was 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. Conclusion The PEDI-EAT-10 was successfully translated in Italian, validated and found to be a reliable one-page rapid screening tool to identify dysphagia in children and adolescents with special needs.