The state of voice quality in pedagogues of Ostrava City Elementary Schools
Authors:
K. Vojkovská 1,2; E. Mrázková 1,2,3,4; P. Sachová 2,5; M. Matějková 1; V. Janout 1; Z. Hajduková 4
Authors‘ workplace:
Ústav epidemiologie a ochrany veřejného zdraví, Lékařská fakulta Ostravské univerzity, vedoucí prof. MUDr. Vladimír Janout, CSc.
1; Centrum pro poruchy sluchu a rovnováhy, vedoucí MUDr. Mrázková Eva, PhD.
2; Ušní, nosní a krční oddělení, Nemocnice s poliklinikou Havířov, primář MUDr. Eva Mrázková Ph. D.
3; Klinika pracovního a preventivního lékařství, Fakultní nemocnice Ostrava, přednosta MUDr. Zdeňka Hajduková, PhD.
4; Ústav preventivního lékařství, Lékařská fakulta Univerzity Palackého v Olomouci, přednosta doc. MUDr. Helena Kollárová, Ph. D.
5
Published in:
Pracov. Lék., 67, 2015, No. 2, s. 46-52.
Category:
Original Papers
Overview
Introduction:
A cultivated speech and voice display is one of presumptions for success in many occupations. From the point of view of requirements for the quality of voice, four groups of vocal professionals were classified according to the European Phoniatric Professional Union. These specialists need perfect voice function for their occupation. The objective of the investigation was the voice analysis by a computer-guided standardized measuring system for analysis of the profile of the vocal display in pedagogues of Ostrava City elementary schools, which belong to the second group of voice professionals.
Methods:
63 Elementary Schools were addressed in various city parts of Ostrava. The approval of school masters was reached in 34 of them. The collection of data proceeded from September through November 2012 and the participation of individual pedagogues in the measurement was voluntary with 495 responders taking part on the whole. The responders underwent voice examination by means of a modular system lingWAVES for analysis and therapy of voice and speech.
The acoustic evaluation of spoken voice was used to evaluate parameters such as phonation time, intensity range, frequency range and spoken voice profile. As an objective and quantitative correlate of the voice quality we measure the Dysphonia Severity Index, which makes it possible to classify the voices in six groups of voice damage.
Results:
The total number of participating pedagogical workers reached 495 persons, of which 484 respondents completed voice analysis (98%). The average phonation time was found in 45% of the pedagogues. More than a half of the pedagogues, i.e. 64% demonstrated average values in the measurement of dynamic range. Eighty four per cent of respondents corresponded to the quality of good voice according to the spoken voice curve, i.e. the Speaking profile slope. Dysphonia Severity Index was evaluated in 423 respondents and in the remaining persons the complete combination of four voice characteristics was not necessary for calculation of the index. The resulting values corresponded to individual groups in relation to the measurement in the following way: no dysphonia in 67.8% of pedagogues, light dysphonia in 19.6%, light to medium dysphonia in 8%, mild dysphonia in 3.8% of pedagogues; a stable dysphonia was present in 0.5% of pedagogues and a strong persisting aphonia in 0.2% of pedagogues.
Conclusion:
It has become obvious that there are still situations, where the pedagogues are susceptible to the development of occupational voice disorders due to permanent overstraining for their vocal cords. The results indicate that education is an occupation at high risk of origin of voice disorders and this medical problem can be related to inability to perform this occupation.
Keywords:
voice professional – pedagogue – voice quality – dysphonia – Dysphonia Severity Index
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Occupational Medicine
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