Conference_programme: 10.3 - Effects of noise on work-related communication disorders

Lecture: Occupational Voice Use Damage Risk Criteria in School Teachers

Author(s): Hunter Eric J. , Titze Ingo R.

Summary:
Purpose: Schoolteachers have an elevated occurrence of vocal health issues and have become a benchmark population for the study of vocal risks due to occupational voice demands. Nevertheless, damage risk has not yet been quantified for this population. \nMethod: Using a voice dosimetry data, schoolteachers’ voice use (57 teachers, 2 weeks each) was examined to calculate voicing percentage per hour, average dB SPL, fundamental frequency (F0), and vocal dose. Occupational voice use (9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., weekdays) and non-occupational voice use (4:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m., weekends) were compared, as were total voice use and prevalence of reported voice disorders among teachers. \nResults: Comparison of voice use (vocal dose) for the 57 teachers revealed variations in duration, speaking pitch, and vocal intensity. As a first guide to damage risk in excessive voice use, the vocal dose criterion was used to show a structure trade-off relations between loudness, adduction, and duration of speech.\n

Corresponding author

Name: Prof Eric Hunter

e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Country: United States