Summary
Objective
To compare vocal function, school performance, and vocal discomfort between sheltered
and nonsheltered school children in Aracaju, Brazil.
Methods
A controlled cross-sectional study was carried out on 7- to 10-year-old children who
attended school regularly. Two groups of children were studied: the study group (SG),
with children who lived in a shelter, and the control group (CG) containing children
who lived with their families. We interviewed 44 children for the SG and 15 (34%)
revealed vocal discomfort (SG = 15). Concomitantly, we interviewed 400 regular school
children from the same geographical area and 45 (11.25%) were selected for the control
group (CG). They were paired by sex and age with the sheltered children using a 3:1
ratio. Both groups were interviewed about school performance and vocal discomfort
and were evaluated using perceptual and acoustic measurements for the voice and larynx.
Results
Children from both groups had started public school late. There were more individuals
with vocal discomfort in the SG and individuals in this group also had a slower speech
rate and inadequate pneumophonic coordination compared with the CG. The Dysphonia
Severity Index (DSI) revealed mild-moderate deviation for both groups. Upper harmonics
and palatal tonsil hypertrophy were higher in the CG, whereas laryngeal constriction
was more common in the SG.
Conclusion
All the SG children revealed mild-moderate deviance on the DSI, a higher level of
vocal discomfort, a slow speech rate, inadequate pneumophonic coordination, and laryngeal
constriction. The results here presented suggest that social conditions are important
for voice behavior in children.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 13, 2013
Accepted:
February 13,
2013
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
