Voice Risk Factors in Kindergarten Teachers in Greece

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify voice risk factors for female kindergarten teachers and nurses in Heraklion, Crete. Patients and Methods: A questionnaire consisting of voice use and lifestyle activities was given to 200 kindergarten teachers in Heraklion, Crete, of which 151 were returned (75.5%). A group of 89 nurses served as the control group. Both groups also completed the Greek version of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-G). Results: Kindergarten teachers sing more often, speak loudly more often when they are at work and present with more infections of the upper respiratory tract compared to nurses. They talk less than 30 min per day on the phone, drink less alcohol and water and smoke less in comparison with nurses. The median VHI-G score for the kindergarten teachers was significantly higher than that for the nurses. Conclusion: The results suggest that there is a difference in the factors that may be responsible for the appearance of voice problems in kindergarten teachers and in nurses. For kindergarten teachers, the risk factors for voice disorders are primarily related to vocal load factors and for nurses appear to be lifestyle-related more than voice use alone.

Speaking Fundamental Frequency and Phonation Time during Work and Leisure Time in Vocally Healthy Preschool Teachers Measured with a Voice Accumulator

“…These are considerably longer working hours than those reported in a Greek study, where the majority of the preschool teachers worked less than 5 h per day [6]. Longer working hours give less opportunity for vocal recovery after work.…”

“…In a Finnish study by Sala et al [4] 50% of the preschool teachers had voice disorders compared to 27% among nurses and the prevalence of vocal nodules was 6 times higher among the preschool teachers than the nurses. Compared to nurses, preschool teachers report more voice symptoms, speak louder and more, and are more exposed to acute respiratory infections [4,5,6]. These results indicate that preschool teachers are at great risk for developing voice disorders.…”

Risk factors for voice disorders in public school teachers in Cyprus

“…The current finding is in sync with Trinite’s [ 5 ] research that reported that the primary and secondary teachers in Latvia who suffer from respiratory allergies are 5.5 times more likely to have voice problems than the ones without allergies. Furthermore, Roy et al [ 12 ] also indicated that the prevalence of VD was significantly higher for participants with respiratory allergies, and the outcomes of Simberg’s et al [ 21 ] investigation also suggested that participants with allergies had more voice disorders symptoms than those without allergies. In contrast, Devadas et al [ 6 ] revealed that nasal allergies are not a significant risk factor in Indian teachers with self-reported voice problems in comparison with teachers with no voice problems.…”

“…More precisely, 34.6% of the teachers missed 1 day, 29.3% missed 1 week, 4.75% missed 2 weeks and 6.8% missed more than 2 weeks of work. Roy et al [ 12 ] examined the effects of voice disorders on work performance and attendance in teachers and nonteachers and revealed that more than 43% of teachers had reduced activities or interactions for at least 1 day due to their voice problems. In addition, 18.3% of teachers versus 7.2% of non-teachers had missed at least 1 day of work and 3% of teachers versus 1.3% of nonteachers had missed more than 5 days of work due to their voice problems.…”

Influencia de los factores intrínsecos en la producción de la voz de docentes de educación básica primaria

“…Smoking and having coffee or tea are risk factors for the appearance of vocal disorders 34 . In addition, frequent singing and the professional vocal work increase the risk for alterations of voice qualities.…”