Summary
Objective
This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a straw phonation exercise program
in preventing voice problems in telephone customer service staff.
Study Design
Prospective study.
Methods
Twenty-eight participants with no obvious voice problems were placed into two groups:
the experimental (n = 13) and control (n = 15) groups. The experimental group received
voice hygiene instructions and participated in a 3-week straw phonation exercise program,
while the control group only received voice hygiene instructions. The acoustic parameters
and Mandarin Chinese version of the Vocal Fatigue Index (CVFI) scores were statistically
analyzed before training, immediately after training, followed up one and 3 months
after training.
Results
The results showed that speaking fundamental frequency (SF0), shimmer, and cepstral peak prominence (CPP) of the experimental group improved
immediately after the straw phonation exercise program, and shimmer of the experimental
group after training was also significantly lower than that of the control group.
A higher SF0 and lower shimmer were noted in the experimental group during the follow-up phase,
whereas factors 1 (voice load and fatigue) and 2 (physiological symptoms) of the CVFI
did not differ significantly until the third month after training.
Conclusion
The study results suggest that the straw phonation exercise program can help telephone
service staff to establish an appropriate speaking pitch and prevent voice fatigue.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 15, 2023
Accepted:
January 17,
2023
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2023 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
