TY - JOUR

T1 - Development and Psychometric Validation of the Taste And Smell Tool for Evaluation (TASTE) Questionnaire

AU - Niklassen, Andreas Steenholt

AU - Christensen, Karl Bang

AU - Fjaeldstad, Alexander Wieck

AU - Ovesen, Therese

PY - 2022/12

Y1 - 2022/12

N2 - Importance: The human senses of taste and smell are essential in everyday life. However, as clinical testing of the senses and patient-reported sensory problems are often diverging, additional validated questionnaires are essential for the evaluation of chemosensory impairments.Objective: To develop an instrument with all relevant domains concerning chemosensory dysfunction and quality of life using modern psychometrics.Design, Setting, and Participants: The study was designed as a questionnaire study for developing a new instrument. The study started in 2019 and was completed in 2022. Patients with chemosensory dysfunction were recruited from a specialized smell and taste clinic at an ear, nose, and throat department in Denmark. Healthy participants with no history of chemosensory dysfunction were recruited through social media.Main Outcomes and Measures: Eight domains were included (distorted chemosensation, emotional, food and meals, social, hygiene, danger, work, and relationship), and 35 items were generated based on review of the existing literature and interviews with patients and experts. Participants were tested with the Major Depression Inventory, 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, Taste Sprays, and Sniffin' Sticks for chemosensory function. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all items. Reliability, internal consistency, and validity were investigated, and a Rasch model was fitted. Healthy controls (n = 39) filled out the questionnaire for comparison of known-groups validity. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed. Finally, item reduction was performed, resulting in a final version with 21 items in 8 domains.Results: The study included responses from 316 patients, 183 women (58%) and 133 men (42%), with a mean (SD) age of 57 (15.1) years. Rasch model fit was acceptable with P > .05 for all items. An 8-dimensional confirmatory factor analysis model showed a better fit than a bifactor confirmatory factor analysis model. Cronbach α ranged from 0.65 to 0.86. Criterion validity with the Sniffin' Sticks, Taste Sprays, Major Depression Inventory, and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey was satisfactory. The test-retest reliability was good in all domains, ranging from 0.55 to 0.86. All domains were discriminative, except the social and work domains.Conclusions and Relevance: In this survey study, the instrument was validated with 8 domains related to chemosensory dysfunction and quality of life. All items had good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, interitem correlations, item-total correlations, and Rasch model fit. The questionnaire appears suitable for use in clinical and research settings.

AB - Importance: The human senses of taste and smell are essential in everyday life. However, as clinical testing of the senses and patient-reported sensory problems are often diverging, additional validated questionnaires are essential for the evaluation of chemosensory impairments.Objective: To develop an instrument with all relevant domains concerning chemosensory dysfunction and quality of life using modern psychometrics.Design, Setting, and Participants: The study was designed as a questionnaire study for developing a new instrument. The study started in 2019 and was completed in 2022. Patients with chemosensory dysfunction were recruited from a specialized smell and taste clinic at an ear, nose, and throat department in Denmark. Healthy participants with no history of chemosensory dysfunction were recruited through social media.Main Outcomes and Measures: Eight domains were included (distorted chemosensation, emotional, food and meals, social, hygiene, danger, work, and relationship), and 35 items were generated based on review of the existing literature and interviews with patients and experts. Participants were tested with the Major Depression Inventory, 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, Taste Sprays, and Sniffin' Sticks for chemosensory function. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all items. Reliability, internal consistency, and validity were investigated, and a Rasch model was fitted. Healthy controls (n = 39) filled out the questionnaire for comparison of known-groups validity. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed. Finally, item reduction was performed, resulting in a final version with 21 items in 8 domains.Results: The study included responses from 316 patients, 183 women (58%) and 133 men (42%), with a mean (SD) age of 57 (15.1) years. Rasch model fit was acceptable with P > .05 for all items. An 8-dimensional confirmatory factor analysis model showed a better fit than a bifactor confirmatory factor analysis model. Cronbach α ranged from 0.65 to 0.86. Criterion validity with the Sniffin' Sticks, Taste Sprays, Major Depression Inventory, and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey was satisfactory. The test-retest reliability was good in all domains, ranging from 0.55 to 0.86. All domains were discriminative, except the social and work domains.Conclusions and Relevance: In this survey study, the instrument was validated with 8 domains related to chemosensory dysfunction and quality of life. All items had good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, interitem correlations, item-total correlations, and Rasch model fit. The questionnaire appears suitable for use in clinical and research settings.

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Quality of Life

KW - Reproducibility of Results

U2 - 10.1001/jamaoto.2022.3392

DO - 10.1001/jamaoto.2022.3392

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36326741

VL - 148

SP - 1164

EP - 1172

JO - JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

JF - JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

SN - 2168-6181

IS - 12

ER -