Voice Risk Factors in Kindergarten Teachers in Greece

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify voice risk factors for female kindergarten teachers and nurses in Heraklion, Crete. Patients and Methods: A questionnaire consisting of voice use and lifestyle activities was given to 200 kindergarten teachers in Heraklion, Crete, of which 151 wer...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica 2012-01, Vol.64 (5), p.211-216
Main Authors: Helidoni, Meropi, Murry, Thomas, Chlouverakis, Gregory, Okalidou, Areti, Velegrakis, George
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Disability Evaluation
Faculty
Female
Greece
Humans
Middle Aged
Nursing Staff, Hospital
Occupational Diseases - etiology
Original Paper
Risk Factors
Singing
Speech Acoustics
Surveys and Questionnaires
Voice Disorders - etiology
Voice Quality
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Summary:Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify voice risk factors for female kindergarten teachers and nurses in Heraklion, Crete. Patients and Methods: A questionnaire consisting of voice use and lifestyle activities was given to 200 kindergarten teachers in Heraklion, Crete, of which 151 were returned (75.5%). A group of 89 nurses served as the control group. Both groups also completed the Greek version of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-G). Results: Kindergarten teachers sing more often, speak loudly more often when they are at work and present with more infections of the upper respiratory tract compared to nurses. They talk less than 30 min per day on the phone, drink less alcohol and water and smoke less in comparison with nurses. The median VHI-G score for the kindergarten teachers was significantly higher than that for the nurses. Conclusion: The results suggest that there is a difference in the factors that may be responsible for the appearance of voice problems in kindergarten teachers and in nurses. For kindergarten teachers, the risk factors for voice disorders are primarily related to vocal load factors and for nurses appear to be lifestyle-related more than voice use alone.
ISSN:1021-7762
1421-9972
DOI:10.1159/000342147