Epidemiology of Vocal Health in Young Adults Attending College in the United States

Hartley, Naomi A.; Breen, Ellen; Thibeault, Susan L.

doi:10.1044/2016_jslhr-s-15-0214

Cited by 6 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The lifetime prevalence of voice problems (12%) was about half that reported in young adults. 25,26 This might be expected considering that children had less life experience than previously studied adults. 24,25,44 Eighty percent of reported voice problems were chronic (>4 weeks duration).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…25,26 This might be expected considering that children had less life experience than previously studied adults. 24,25,44 Eighty percent of reported voice problems were chronic (>4 weeks duration). In more than half of cases, benign vocal fold lesions had been identified as the underlying etiology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…The survey was adapted from previous large-scale investigations of voice disorder prevalence in adults to allow for comparisons across populations. 24,25 To identify a sample representative of the US population, this survey was distributed to the AmeriSpeak Panel at the National Opinion Research Center. Study procedures were approved by all relevant institutional review boards.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Serving as proxies for their children, parents of children aged 4 to 12 years were surveyed concerning voice use, voice symptoms, voice-related quality of life, environmental factors, extracurricular involvement, and demographic information. The survey was adapted from previous large-scale investigations of voice disorder prevalence in adults to allow for comparisons across populations . To identify a sample representative of the US population, this survey was distributed to the AmeriSpeak Panel at the National Opinion Research Center.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To understand voice disorder prevalence, it is crucial to understand the association between voice use and voice symptomology . For adults, researchers have characterized typical voice use patterns as well as the ways in which these patterns are associated with risk for vocal pathology . For example, phonating in poor acoustic environments, background noise, or at increased intensity have all been documented to induce vocal fatigue symptoms in adults .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Voice Disorder Prevalence and Vocal Health Characteristics in Children

Fujiki,

Thibeault

2024

JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg

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ImportanceVoice disorders impede communication and limit quality of life for many children. However, research demonstrating the prevalence of pediatric voice problems and associated voice use patterns is scarce. This investigation examined the prevalence of voice problems and vocal health characteristics of school-aged children.ObjectiveTo examine the prevalence of voice problems in school-aged children throughout the US with reference to lifestyle, demographic characteristics, and voice use patterns.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis study used a cross-sectional design to survey a probability sample of caregivers of children aged 4 to 12 years living throughout the US in 2023.Main Outcomes and MeasuresCaregivers were surveyed regarding their children’s voice use, voice symptoms, voice problems, extracurricular activities, and demographic information. Caregivers also competed the Pediatric Voice-Related Quality of Life questionnaire. The Fisher exact test, χ2 tests, and logistic regression were used to compare children with and without voice problems.ResultsOverall, 6293 panelists were invited to complete screening questions for the survey, and 1789 individuals were screened for eligibility between March and April 2023. Of these, 1175 parents (65.7%) completed the survey. Twenty-one (1.8%) were excluded for a combination of either high refusal rates (n = 16), speeding (n = 2), or straight lining (n = 12). The final number of participants included in analysis was 1154 caregivers of children aged 4 to 12 years (559 female children [48.4%]; 595 male children [51.6%]; mean [SD] age, 8.02 [2.49] years). The prevalence of voice problems in children was 6.7% (n = 78), and the lifetime prevalence was 12% (n = 138). Benign vocal fold lesions was the most common diagnosis underlying voice complaints, and other causes included respiratory illness, allergies, autism-related voice issues, and other neurological conditions. Risk factors for pediatric voice problems included being male (odds ratio [OR], 1.47; 95% CI, 1.0-2.1), having more than 4 individuals living in the household (OR, 2.30; 95% CI, 1.2-4.4), poor speech intelligibility (OR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.2-4.3), maternal history of voice problems (OR, 4.54; 95% CI, 1.2-16.4), participating in online gaming (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.0-2.3), and secondhand smoke exposure (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1-2.6). Voice use–related risk factors included frequent talking, coughing, throat clearing, tantrums/crying, and vocal strain. Voice problems were associated with substantially detracted quality of life as measured by the Pediatric Voice-Related Quality of Life questionnaire, limited social/extracurricular interactions, increased school absences, and negative attention from adults.ConclusionsThe results of this survey study suggest that pediatric voice problems are relatively common and detract from quality of life. Specific environmental and behaviorial factors are associated with increased risk for voice disorders.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Voice Disorder Prevalence and Vocal Health Characteristics in Children

Fujiki,

Thibeault

2024

JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg

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View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Voice Disorder Prevalence and Vocal Health Characteristics in Adolescents

Fujiki,

Thibeault

2024

JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg

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ImportanceVoice disorders impede communication and detract from quality of life, yet little is known about how voice problems present in adolescents. This study characterized the prevalence of voice problems and vocal health characteristics of adolescents throughout the US.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of adolescent voice problems in the US as well as the symptoms, voice use patterns, and risk factors associated with these problems.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis prospectively performed, cross-sectional survey study conducted from March to June 2023 included a probability sample of adolescents (aged 13-17 years) who were located across the US.Main Outcome and MeasuresAdolescents were surveyed concerning voice use, voice symptoms, demographic information, and substance use patterns. The Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) was also completed. Fisher exact tests, χ2 tests, and logistic regression were used to compare those with and without reported voice problems.ResultsFive-hundred and two adolescents participated (51.6% participation rate), including 248 female (49.4%), 7 nonbinary (1.3%), 254 male (50.6%), 4 transfemale (0.7%), and 3 transmale individuals (0.5%) (mean [SD] age, 15.2 [1.3] years). The lifetime prevalence of voice problems was 24.3%, and current prevalence was 7.4%. Voice-related diagnoses included dysphonia associated with acute illness, vocal hyperfunction, benign lesions, and muscle tension. The mean (SD) VFI score was 4.7 (8.09) for part 1, 1.6 (3.2) for part 2, and 2.1 (3.2) for part 3. Adolescents with voice complaints presented with significantly higher VFI scores than those without voice problems (Cohen d for part 1 = 0.78, part 2 = 0.59, and part 3 = 0.79). Voice problems interfered with daily tasks, prevented participation in extracurricular activities, limited the ability to sing, and were associated with school absences. Voice use patterns associated with voice problems included frequent loud voice use, coughing, and/or throat clearing. Risk factors for increased voice problem prevalence included part-time employment in childcare (odds ratio [OR], 6.4; 95% CI, 1.6-26.3), singing (OR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.3-3.1), performance-related extracurricular activities (ie, musical theater [OR, 2.67; 95% CI, 1.1-6.6 ], karaoke [OR, 3.08; 95% CI, 1.3-6.9]), vaping (OR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.1-3.5), and/or secondhand smoke exposure (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.2-2.7). Adolescents identifying as transgender were more than 4 times (OR, 4.44; 95% CI, 0.63-31.2) as likely to report voice problems compared with cisgender adolescents.ConclusionsThe results of this survey study illuminate the nature of voice problems in adolescents and may guide clinicians in preventing and treating voice disorders in this population. Future work may define the mechanisms through which these factors are associated with the risk for voice disorders in adolescents and determine whether observed relationships are causal or associative.

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Students’ Experience with Vocal Injury in Undergraduate Performing Arts Training Programs

Suddeth

Flynn

2022

Journal of Voice

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Epidemiology of Vocal Health in Young Adults Attending College in the United States

Cited by 6 publications

References 17 publications

Voice Disorder Prevalence and Vocal Health Characteristics in Children

Voice Disorder Prevalence and Vocal Health Characteristics in Children

Voice Disorder Prevalence and Vocal Health Characteristics in Adolescents

Students’ Experience with Vocal Injury in Undergraduate Performing Arts Training Programs

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