Risk Factors for Voice Problems in Teachers

Kooijman, P.G.C.; Jong, F.I.C.R.S. de; Thomas, George C.; Huinck, Wendy J.; Donders, Rogier; Graamans, K.; Schutte, Harm K.

doi:10.1159/000091730

Cited by 137 publications

(136 citation statements)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

102

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Years of teaching have been identified as a risk factor because of cumulative voice use. 13,14 The number of pupils in the classroom also showed to be important since teaching a larger group requires more vocal effort. 13 Abundant background noise or classrooms with bad acoustics forces the teacher to speak more loudly, which also increases the risk.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…13,14 The number of pupils in the classroom also showed to be important since teaching a larger group requires more vocal effort. 13 Abundant background noise or classrooms with bad acoustics forces the teacher to speak more loudly, which also increases the risk. 9 Other unfavorable working conditions, for example, dry air, dust, smoke, temperature changes, may irritate the mucosa and negatively influence the voice.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…15 Psychoemotional factors and stress have been consistently shown to be related to voice disorders. 5,8,13 Emotions can influence voice production negatively, especially in sensitive persons. Increase in stress changes the phonation pattern with a subsequent increase in voice load.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Impact of Voice Disorders Among Teachers: Vocal Complaints, Treatment-Seeking Behavior, Knowledge of Vocal Care, and Voice-Related Absenteeism

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary: Objectives. Teachers are at increased risk for developing voice disorders. Occupational risk factors have been extensively examined; however, little attention has been paid to the consequences of the vocal complaints. The objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge that teachers have about vocal care, treatment-seeking behavior, and voice-related absenteeism. Methods. The study group comprised 994 teachers and 290 controls whose jobs did not involve vocal effort. All participants completed a questionnaire inquiring about vocal complaints, treatment-seeking behavior, voice-related absenteeism, and knowledge about vocal care. Comparisons were made between teachers with and without vocal complaints and with the control group. Results. Teachers reported significantly more voice problems than the control population (51.2% vs 27.4%) (c 2 ¼ 50.45, df ¼ 1, P < 0.001). Female teachers reported significantly higher levels of voice disorders than their male colleagues (38% vs 13.2%, c 2 ¼ 22.34, df ¼ 1, P < 0.001). Teachers (25.4%) sought medical care and eventually 20.6% had missed at least 1 day of work because of voice problems. Female teachers were significantly more likely to seek medical help (c 2 ¼ 7.24, df ¼ 1, P ¼ 0.007) and to stay at home (c 2 ¼ 7.10, df ¼ 1, P ¼ 0.008) in comparison with their male colleagues. Only 13.5% of all teachers received information during their education. Conclusions. Voice disorders have an impact on teachers' personal and professional life and imply a major financial burden for society. A substantial number of teachers needed medical help and was obligated to stay at home because of voice problems. This study strongly recommends the implementation of vocal education during the training of teacher students to prepare the vocal professional user.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Impact of Voice Disorders Among Teachers: Vocal Complaints, Treatment-Seeking Behavior, Knowledge of Vocal Care, and Voice-Related Absenteeism

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several studies have demonstrated a high prevalence of voice disorders in teachers, as well as the personal, professional and economical relevance of the problem [1][2][3][4]. Moreover, some reports seem to indicate that poor voice quality in teachers reduces the intelligibility of their speech and the cognitive functioning and successful learning of the students [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Voice amplification for primary school teachers with voice disorders: A randomized clinical trial

Bovo¹,

Trevisi²,

Emanuelli³

2013

International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives: Several studies have demonstrated a high prevalence of voice disorders in teachers, together with the personal, professional and economical consequences of the problem. Good primary prevention should be based on 3 aspects: 1) amelioration of classroom acoustics, 2) voice care programs for future professional voice users, including teachers and 3) classroom or portable amplification systems. The aim of the study was to assess the benefit obtained from the use of portable amplification systems by female primary school teachers in their occupational setting. Materials and Methods: Forty female primary school teachers attended a course about professional voice care, which comprised two theoretical lectures, each 60 min long. Thereafter, they were randomized into 2 groups: the teachers of the first group were asked to use a portable vocal amplifier for 3 months, till the end of school-year. The other 20 teachers were part of the control group, matched for age and years of employment. All subjects had a grade 1 of dysphonia with no significant organic lesion of the vocal folds. Results: Most teachers of the experimental group used the amplifier consistently for the whole duration of the experiment and found it very useful in reducing the symptoms of vocal fatigue. In fact, after 3 months, Voice Handicap Index (VHI) scores in "course + amplifier" group demonstrated a significant amelioration (p = 0.003). The perceptual grade of dysphonia also improved significantly (p = 0.0005). The same parameters changed favourably also in the "course only" group, but the results were not statistically significant (p = 0.4 for VHI and p = 0.03 for perceptual grade). Conclusions: In teachers, and particularly in those with a constitutional weak voice and/or those who are prone to vocal fold pathology, vocal amplifiers may be an effective and low-cost intervention to decrease potentially damaging vocal loads and may represent a necessary form of prevention.

show abstract

“…Teachers have high prevalence of vocal problems when compared with other professionals who use their voice as an instrument of labor 2 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avaliação dos fatores de risco para distúrbios de voz em professores e análise acústica vocal como instrumento de avaliação epidemiológica

Pizolato¹,

Mialhe

Cortellazzi

et al. 2013

Rev. CEFAC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose: conduct a prospective study to analyze risk factors for dysphonia in teachers, associated with presence of vocal alterations. Method: one-hundred-and-two teachers (81 women and 21 men) were randomly selected from 11 schools in Piracicaba/SP, with mean age 42.48 years. A questionnaire covering aspects of the work environment and organization, vocal behavior, lifestyle and signs and symptoms of vocal alterations was applied. Acoustic analysis was performed and the dependent variables assessed were Fundamental Frequency and mean Vocal Intensity. There were associations between questionnaire variables and Fundamental Frequency, and mean Intensity. The following statistical tests were used: Chi-square, Fisher´s Exact Test and Odds Ratio calculation. Results: individuals of the male gender had less chance of presenting altered fundamental frequency of the voice than the female gender (p<0.0001). Teachers who had been teaching elementary II and middle school had less chance of presenting alteration in fundamental frequency of the voice than those who taught in (first grade) primary schools I (p=0.04). The environmental noise was significantly associated with alteration in mean voice intensity (p=0.02). Conclusion: factors such as female gender, teaching in primary school and exposure to work environment noise are considered risk indicators for voice disorders. KEYWORDS:

show abstract

Risk Factors for Voice Problems in Teachers

Cited by 137 publications

References 51 publications

The Impact of Voice Disorders Among Teachers: Vocal Complaints, Treatment-Seeking Behavior, Knowledge of Vocal Care, and Voice-Related Absenteeism

The Impact of Voice Disorders Among Teachers: Vocal Complaints, Treatment-Seeking Behavior, Knowledge of Vocal Care, and Voice-Related Absenteeism

Voice amplification for primary school teachers with voice disorders: A randomized clinical trial

Avaliação dos fatores de risco para distúrbios de voz em professores e análise acústica vocal como instrumento de avaliação epidemiológica

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About