Self-evaluation of voice as a treatment outcome measure. The relative effectiveness of vocal hygiene training and vocal function exercises in preventing voice disorders in primary school teachers. Vocal problems among teachers: evaluation of a preventive voice program. Effects of voice training and voice hygiene education on acoustic and perceptual speech parameters and self-reported vocal well-being in female teachers. The impact of preventive voice care programs for training teachers: a longitudinal study.
This study addressed two self-evaluation questionnaires in investigating the effects of voice hygiene lecture (VHL, 3 h) and additional voice training (VT) or Voice Massage (VM; both 5 h) in 90 female teachers. The subjects assessed their voice quality, ease of phonation and tiredness of throat before and after a working day at the beginning and end of the school term using a visual analogue scale (VAS) (Questionnaire 1). At the end of the term, the degree of positive influence of the interventions was reported on VAS, and the type of influence was indicated by choosing one or more of three alternatives (voice quality, audibility and endurance) or by writing a free comment (Questionnaire 2). Questionnaire 1 was pretested and found to be reliable and valid for self-evaluation of voice. At the end of term, the VM and VT groups reported more positive influence of the interventions than did the VHL group. The reported influence did not correlate with working-day-related changes in sensations. Increased difficulty of phonation and tiredness of throat was found in the VHL group at the end of the term. However, the groups did not differ significantly from each other. The challenges of self-evaluations as outcome measures are discussed.
                Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel. Voice disorders in teachers have a significant impact on their occupational functioning and well being. Teachers are believed to have a high prevalence of voice problems because of the unfavourable acoustic environments in which they work and the high vocal demands and stress levels associated with teaching. Although the types of voice problems teachers experience should be preventable because they are caused by factors that teachers can change, there is limited information available regarding the effectiveness of different preventative strategies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of vocal hygiene training (VH) and vocal function exercises (VFE) in reducing vocal symptoms and vocal misuse, and increasing knowledge of voice care, maximum phonation time, and maximum phonational frequency range in school teachers. Thirty-seven teachers from four schools in Melbourne, Australia, participated in the study. Schools were randomly allocated to one of three groups: VH, VFE, and no-treatment control. The VH and VFE participants reported improved vocal characteristics and voice knowledge after training while the control group showed deterioration on most variables. The VH participants showed greater improvements than the VFE participants. These fundings indicate that preventative voice training for teachers is likely to be effective. Vocal education programs for teachers may prevent the emergence of vocal disorders; however, only a few studies have tried to evaluate the effectiveness of these preventive programs, particularly in the long term. Two hundred and sixty-four subjects, mostly kindergarten and primary school female teachers, participated in a course on voice care, including a theoretical seminar (120 minutes) and a short voice group therapy (180 minutes, small groups of 20 subjects). For 3 months, they had to either attend the vocal ergonomics norms and, as psychological reinforcement, they had to make out a daily report of vocal abuse, or to follow the given exercises for a more efficient vocal technique, reporting on whether the time scheduled was respected or not. The effectiveness of the course was assessed in a group of 21 female teachers through a randomized controlled study. Evaluation comprehended stroboscopy, perceptual and electro-acoustical voice analysis, Voice Handicap Index, and a course benefit questionnaire. A group of 20 teachers matched for age, working years, hoarseness grade, and vocal demand served as a control group. At 3 months evaluation, participants demonstrated amelioration in the global dysphonia rates (P=0.0003), jitter (P=0.0001), shimmer (P=0.0001), MPT (P=0.0001), and VHI (P=0.0001). Twelve months after the course, the positive effects remained, although they were slightly reduced. In conclusion, a course inclusive of two lectures, a short group voice therapy, home-controlled voice exercises, and hygiene, represents a feasible and cost-effective primary prevention of voice disorders in a homogeneous and well-motivated population of teachers. Voice education programs may help in optimizing teachers' voice use. This study compared effects of voice training (VT) and voice hygiene lecture (VHL) in 60 randomly assigned female teachers. All 60 attended the lecture, and 30 completed a short training course in addition. Text reading was recorded in working environments and analyzed for fundamental frequency (F0), equivalent sound level (Leq), alpha ratio, jitter, shimmer, and perceptual quality. Self-reports of vocal well-being were registered. In the VHL group, increased F0 and difficulty of phonation and in the VT group decreased perturbation, increased alpha ratio, easier phonation, and improved perceptual and self-reported voice quality were found. Both groups equally self-reported increase of voice care knowledge. Results seem to indicate improved vocal well-being after training. The teaching profession puts vocal health at a higher risk than other professions, causing what is referred to as "occupational dysphonia." There is a need for primary prevention of "occupational dysphonia" among the teaching profession, where good vocal health is promoted before a problem occurs. To investigate the primary prevention of occupational dysphonia among teachers, this study uses a sample population of 55 training teachers, in the postgraduate certificate of education (PGCE) course at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, who were randomly assigned to three training groups: control, indirect, and direct. The vocal performance of the three groups was measured at two points over the year of the PGCE course: first before any teaching or training began, and again after the first teaching practice. The training for the indirect and direct groups was provided before the teaching practices. Acoustic and self-perceptual measurements were used to assess the multidimensional outcomes. The results demonstrate interesting trends, that although not found to be significant, are approaching significance. Their voices will be reevaluated at a third point of measurement. The acoustic measurement reflects deterioration from time 1 to time 2 for the control group, improvement for the direct group, and no change for the indirect group, indicating that the training has proved beneficial. The self-rating scores vary in agreement with the acoustic results, presenting interesting findings. The findings of this study will be of benefit to teachers, their educators, voice therapists, health promoters, and human resource personnel.
We found no evidence that either direct or indirect voice training or the two combined are effective in improving self-reported vocal functioning when compared to no intervention. The current practice of giving training to at-risk populations for preventing the development of voice disorders is therefore not supported by definitive evidence of effectiveness. Larger and methodologically better trials are needed with outcome measures that better reflect the aims of interventions.