Oral Frailty and Meal Positioning Associated With Aspiration Pneumonia in Long-Term Care Residents at High…

Cross-sectionalGeriatrics & gerontology international· Aug 2026

Oral Frailty and Meal Positioning Associated With Aspiration Pneumonia in Long-Term Care Residents at High Risk of Malnutrition.

Xinze Wu, Tatsuma Okazaki, Jiro Okochi, Satoru Ebihara

GeriatricsCross-sectionalClinical practiceQ2IF 1.9

Reclining 0°-30° during meals nearly quadrupled aspiration pneumonia odds in care residents.

Oral Frailty and Meal Positioning Associated With Aspiration Pneumonia in Long-Term Care Residents at High Risk of Malnutrition.

Xinze Wu … Satoru Ebihara

Geriatrics & gerontology international · Aug 2026 · Q2 in General Medicine

Background

Aspiration pneumonia (aspiration pneumonia) remains a clinical problem in long-term care facilities.

Methods

This cross-sectional study analyzed nationwide survey data from residents at high risk of malnutrition in Japanese long-term care facilities.

n = 97

Results

reclining flat to 30 degrees during meals nearly quadrupled aspiration pneumonia risk

OR by subgroup · 95% CI

More results

Among 1204 residents, 8.1% (n = 97) reported aspiration pneumonia.

After full adjustment, inability to gargle (OR = 1.991; 95% CI: 1.139-3.479) and unclear speech (OR = 1.752; 95% CI: 1.085-2.829) remained significantly associated with aspiration pneumonia.

More results

Aspiration pneumonia prevalence increased from 2.9% in residents with 0-1 abnormal oral frailty-related items to 13.1% in those with ≥ 4 items.

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Conclusion · 1 of 2

Aspiration pneumonia was associated with cumulative oral frailty-related conditions and meal positioning among residents at high risk of malnutrition in long-term care facilities.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

Monitoring routine oral signs and optimizing seating angles may help reduce aspiration pneumonia occurrence.

Oral Frailty and Meal Positioning Associated With Aspiration Pneumonia in Long-Term Care Residents at High Risk of Malnutrition.

Oral Frailty and Meal Positioning Associated With Aspiration Pneumonia in Long-Term Care Residents at High Risk of Malnutrition.

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