Summary
Background
Previous results suggest that teaching is a high-risk profession for developing voice
disorders.
Objective
This study aims to determine the prevalence of vocal fatigue among teachers and its
relationship with voice acoustic parameters reported in previous studies.
Method
Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement
Guidelines, we performed a systematic literature review including five databases:
Scopus, Scielo, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Web of Science. Information on study population,
definition and evaluation of vocal fatigue, and teaching characteristics were extracted
from each paper. The quality of the included publications was assessed using the “Quality
assessment tool for quantitative studies”.
Results
In total, 14 publications met the inclusion criteria. The two most common work-related
factors of vocal fatigue were high levels of noise inside classrooms and loud speaking
voice use. Some investigations reported voice acoustic parameters such as fundamental
frequency and vocal Sound Pressure Levels as associated with vocal fatigue.
Conclusion
Vocal fatigue is a prevalent symptom among teachers associated with teaching vocal
demands. However, studies on objective parameters that complement self-reports, to
quantify vocal fatigue are needed to determine permissible values for healthy occupational
voice use.
Key Words
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of VoiceAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
REFERENCES
- Prevalence of voice disorders and associated risk factors in teachers and nonteachers in Iran.J Voice Off J Voice Found. 2016; 30 (506.e19-23)
- Populations in the U.S. workforce who rely on voice as a primary tool of trade: a preliminary report.J Voice Off J Voice Found. 1997; 11: 254-259
- Prevalence of occupational voice disorders in teachers.J Prev Med Hyg. 2009; 50: 26-32
- Prevalence of voice disorders in teachers and the general population.J Speech Lang Hear Res JSLHR. 2004; 47: 281-293
de Alvear RB, Martínez-Arquero G. Teachers’ voice disorders collateral effects. 2009;8.
- Factors associated with voice-related quality of life among teachers with voice complaints.J Commun Disord. 2014; 52: 134-142
- Contexto ocupacional, abuso y mal uso vocal en profesores de la ciudad de iquique.Cienc Amp Trab. 2018; 20: 116-120
- Review of the impact of voice training on the vocal quality of professional voice users: implications for vocal health and recommendations for further research.J Voice. 2011; 25: 181-191
- The influence of noise on the vocal dose in women.J Voice. 2019; 33: 214-219
- Chant therapy for treating vocal fatigue among public school teachers: a preliminary study.Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2002; 11: 356-369
- Vocal disorders and the professional voice user: the allergist's role.Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 1995; 74: 363-376
- Vocal loading among day care center teachers.Logoped Phoniatr Vocol. 2002; 27: 21-28
- Effects of noise and acoustics in schools on vocal health in teachers.Noise Health. 2015; 17: 17-22
- The effects of acoustical refurbishment of classrooms on teachers’ perceived noise exposure and noise-related health symptoms.Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2016; 89: 341-350
- Vocal teacher production condition in differents functional situations.CoDAS. SciELO Brasil. 2022; 34: 1-8https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/20202020208
- Are classroom thermal conditions, lighting, and acoustics related to teacher health symptoms?.Indoor Air. 2020; 30: 544-552https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12640
Thomas H, Ciliska D, Dobbins M. Quality assessment tool for quantitative studies. 2003.
- Gender differences in the reporting of vocal fatigue in teachers as quantified by the vocal fatigue index.Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2017; 126: 813-818
- Vocal fatigue in professors at the beginning and end of the school year.CoDAS. 2019; 32e20180233
- The relationship between vocal fatigue index and voice handicap index in university professors with and without voice complaint.J Voice Off J Voice Found. 2020; 34: 809.e1-809.e5
- Prevalence and risk factors of voice problems among primary school teachers in india.J Voice Off J Voice Found. 2017; 31 (117.e1-117.e10)
- Working-day effects on the spectral characteristics of teaching voice.Folia Phoniatr Logop Off Organ Int Assoc Logop Phoniatr IALP. 1998; 50: 205-211
- Subjective evaluation of voice and working conditions and phoniatric examination in kindergarten teachers.Folia Phoniatr Logop Off Organ Int Assoc Logop Phoniatr IALP. 2012; 64: 12-19
- Respiratory and laryngeal function in teachers: pre and postvocal loading challenge.J Voice Off J Voice Found. 2019; 33: 302-309
- Prevalencia de síntomas de alteraciones de la voz y condiciones de trabajo en docentes de escuela primaria: Aragua-Venezuela.Salud Los Trab. 2006; 14: 31-54
- Avaliação dos fatores de risco para distúrbios de voz em professores e análise acústica vocal como instrumento de avaliação epidemiológica.Rev CEFAC. 2013; 15: 957-966
- The inability to produce soft voice (IPSV): a tool to detect vocal change in school-teachers.Logoped Phoniatr Vocol. 2009; 34: 117-127
- Epidemiological voice health map of the teaching population of Granollers (Barcelona) developed from the EVES questionnaire and the VHI.Logoped Phoniatr Vocol. 2015; 40: 171-178
- Relação entre a função glótica e a desvantagem vocal em professores da rede pública de ensino.Rev CEFAC. 2017; 19: 303-307
- Prevalence of voice disorders in school teachers in a district in south india.J Voice Off J Voice Found. 2021; 35: 1-8
- Epidemiological study of voice disorders among teaching professionals of La Rioja, Spain.J Voice Off J Voice Found. 2008; 22: 489-508
- Quantifying vocal fatigue recovery: Dynamic vocal recovery trajectories after a vocal loading exercise.Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2009; 118: 449-460
- Toward a consensus description of vocal effort, vocal load, vocal loading, and vocal fatigue.J Speech Lang Hear Res JSLHR. 2020; 63: 509-532
- Clinical Voice Pathology: Theory and Management, Sixth Edition.Plural Publishing, 2018: 130-133
- Dynamically monitoring vocal fatigue and recovery using aerodynamic, acoustic, and subjective self-rating measurements.J Voice. 2019; 33 (809.e11-809.e18.)
- Factors involved in vocal fatigue: a pilot study.Folia Phoniatr Logop Off Organ Int Assoc Logop Phoniatr IALP. 2016; 68: 112-118
- Occupational safety and health aspects of voice and speech professions.Folia Phoniatr Logop Off Organ Int Assoc Logop Phoniatr IALP. 2004; 56: 220-253
Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 19, 2022
Accepted:
July 28,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofFootnotes
This work is funded by Corporación Universitaria Iberioamericana – Dirección de Investigaciones, under search grant for project 202010D040 "Vocal fatigue in university professors working under the online modality".
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
