Impact of oral frailty prevention program with textured lunch gatherings on attitude and behavior towards eating habits and improving oral frailty: The Comprehensive Awareness Modification of Mouth, Chewing And Meal (CAMCAM) program

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Preserving sufficient oral function and maintaining adequate nutrition are essential for preventing frailty and the following long-term care. We recently developed the 6-month Comprehensive Awareness Modification of Mouth, Chewing And Meal (CAMCAM) program, in which participants gather monthly to learn about oral health and nutrition while eating a textured lunch together. This study examined whether the CAMCAM program could improve attitude and behavior towards oral health, mastication, and diet as well as ameliorate oral frailty in community-dwelling older adults. Design Single-arm pre-post comparison study Setting and Participants: A total of 271 community-dwelling adults in 4 Japanese municipalities were recruited, of which 249 participants (92%) were assessed at the final evaluation. Intervention Participants gathered once a month at community centers to learn about oral health and nutrition while eating a textured lunch with ingenious cooking recipes. Measurements Oral frailty, frailty, and eating behavior were evaluated with the Oral Frailty Index-8 (OFI-8), Kihon checklist (KCL), and CAMCAM checklist, respectively. Participants were divided into Oral frailty (OF) and Robust groups according to OFI-8 scores. The differences in KCL and CAMCAM checklist results between the OF and Robust groups were statistically tested along with changes in scores after the program. Results KCL and CAMCAM checklist scores were significantly lower in the OF group at the initial assessment. OFI-8 and KCL findings were significantly improved in the OF group after completing the program (all P < 0.05). Regarding the CAMCAM checklist, awareness of chewing improved significantly in the Robust group (P = 0.009), with a similar tendency in the OF group (P = 0.080). Conclusion Our findings suggest that individuals with oral frailty have problems with chewing and meals, and harbor the risk of frailty. The CAMCAM program may be an effective means of changing attitudes towards eating behavior and oral frailty in the community setting.