ABSTRACT The significance of olfaction in human behavior is well recognized, yet there is a lack of standardized measurement tools applicable to all age groups. Particularly, children and the elderly currently lack specific standardized assessment instruments. This study included 454 healthy participants (154 children, 150 young adults, and 150 older adults). After three rounds of item screening and confirmatory factor analysis, we developed a 12‐item questionnaire encompassing four dimensions: “Food,” “Hazards,” “Interpersonal Relationships,” and “Spatial Orientation.” The results demonstrate that the questionnaire exhibits good test‐retest reliability and structural validity. Our findings indicate a positive correlation between the perceived importance of olfaction and age across a wide age range, but this trend does not reach statistical significance within any specific age group. Children scored significantly lower than both young adults and seniors, with no significant difference between the latter two groups. Additionally, trends were observed regarding gender differences in olfactory behaviors and variations across different olfactory activities. The present questionnaire is a reliable and validated self‐report measurement of an individual's significance of olfaction for people over 10 years old.
Li et al. (Wed,) studied this question.