Association between Lower Extremity Functional Status and Self-Reported Chewing and Speaking Difficulties in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study Using the Life Functioning Scale-10

Background: Lower extremity functional limitations may be associated with difficulties in oral activities such as chewing and speaking in older adults.However, population-based evidence regarding the associations of specific domains and activities of life functioning with self-reported chewing and speaking difficulties remains limited.This study aimed to investigate the association between lower extremity functional status and self-reported chewing and speaking difficulties among community-dwelling older adults, using nationally representative data from Korea.Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed the data from 1,516 adults aged 65∼80 years who participated in the 2024 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Life functioning was assessed using the Life Functioning Scale-10 (LF-10), and chewing and speaking difficulties were assessed using self-reported measures.Complex-sample logistic regression analyses were conducted, adjusted for sociodemographic and health-related factors, including the number of remaining natural teeth.Results: Among the four LF-10 domains, greater lower extremity functional limitation was significantly associated with higher odds of chewing difficulty (odds ratio [OR]=1.068,95% confidence interval [CI]=1.023∼1.116,p=0.003) and speaking difficulty (OR=1.126,95% CI=1.048∼1.209,p=0.001) after adjustment.At the item level, difficulty walking 400 m was associated with chewing difficulty (OR=1.200,95% CI=1.028∼1.401,p=0.021), whereas difficulty walking up one floor without resting was associated with speaking difficulty (OR=1.309,95% CI=1.014∼1.691,p=0.039).Conclusion: Greater lower extremity functional limitation was associated with self-reported chewing and speaking difficulties among community-dwelling older adults.These findings suggest that lower extremity functional status may be considered alongside self-reported oral difficulties when assessing the functional health of older adults.Longitudinal studies are warranted to further clarify the temporal relationships between physical and oral function.