DATA ALL PARTICIPANTS.xlsx

Currently, the Yale Swallow Protocol overidentifies prandial aspiration. The purpose of the current investigation was to establish normative data that may improve the protocol’s specificity. The number of swallows, average volume per swallow, time to complete, and integrated surface electromyography signal (area under the curve) were collected for consumption of 3-ounces of water. An additional purpose was to investigate the same parameters using a 5 mL swallow of water. Participants were divided into three groups: young adults (n = 65,= 22.8 years), middle-aged adults (n = 62,= 53.2 years), older adults (n = 65,= 81.5 years). Participants consumed 5 mL and 3 ounces of water. For the 3-ounce task, the number of swallows consistently increased as age increased. The average volume per swallow decreased as age increased. The time to complete increased as age increased. The middle-aged adults had the smallest and the younger adults had the largest area under the curve. Across all ages, males completed fewer swallows, displayed greater average volumes per swallow, required significantly less time, and exhibited significantly less area under the curve when compared to females. For the 5 mL task, time to complete and area under the curve decreased as age increased. Across all ages, males required less time to consume and exhibited significantly less area under the curve when compared to females.