A Cross‐sectional Survey of Voice Disorders among Primary School Teachers in Hong Kong

Abstract

A Cross-sectional Survey of Voice Disorders among Primary School Teachers in HongKong: Sophie Yick-yu Lee, et al. Tseung Kwan O Hospital, China-Objective: The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of voice disorders and associated risk factors among primary school teachers in Hong Kong. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted based on a random sample of 20 primary schools in Hong Kong. A total of 714 fulltime primary school teachers were invited to participate in the survey. Data were collected through a selfadministered questionnaire addressing the prevalence of voice disorders and potential risk factors. Stepwise logistic regression was used to assess the associations between voice disorders and the different risk factors. Results: The response rate for the questionnaire was 69.7% (498/714). Among the teachers who responded, 348 (69.9%) had suffered from a voice disorder in the past 12 mo. Thirty-one teachers (8.9%) rated their voice disorders as minimal, 124 (35.6%) as mild, 151 (43.4%) as moderate, and 42 (12.1%) as severe. Of the 348 teachers reporting voice disorders, 215 (61.8%) had sought professional help for their voice problems. The univariate analyses showed that the factors significantly associated with voice disorders included talking quietly (p=0.018), using a microphone (p=0.002), speaking against background noise (p<0.001), consuming alcohol (p=0.027), and having a history of asthma (p=0.001), colds (p=0.012), sinusitis (p=0.039), or laryngitis (p<0.001). After adjusting for potential confounds, the significant risk factors included speaking against background noise (adjusted OR=1.8), alcohol consumption (adjusted OR=0.40), history of asthma (adjusted OR=3.3), or laryngitis (adjusted OR=4.2). Conclusions: Approximately 70% of the sampled primary school teachers were affected by voice disorders. A substantial proportion of the effected teachers suffered both functional and psychological adverse effects. The findings indicate an urgent need for further investigation to identify the risk factors for voice disorders and to develop preventive strategies for primary school teachers. (J Occup Health 2010; 52: 344-352)

Work-Related Health Problems Among Primary and Secondary School Teachers: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…This difference can be explained by the fact that female teachers often pay more attention to the principles of a healthy lifestyle, such as optimal body weight, low-fat diet and higher amounts of leisure time and physical activity (28). Results also showed that female teachers were more likely to report voice problems, which is consistent with reports from previous studies (8,13,14).…”

“…Voice disorders have negative impact on the quality of life, which means teachers who complain from voice problems, endure poorer health-related quality of life (9). Numerous studies have been carried out with the aim to investigate the prevalence of voice problems in teachers (10)(11)(12)(13). However, there is still limited awareness among teachers re-garding the potential risks associated with vocal health or the specialized health services (14).…”

Prevalence and Severity of Dysphonia in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis

“…16,17 Our objective in taking this approach was to determine whether severity of dysphonia might be explained by severity of sinusitis.…”

Frequência de problemas vocais autorreferidos e fatores ocupacionais associados em professores da educação básica de Londrina, Paraná, Brasil

“…Por um lado, estudos indicaram haver relação entre alterações vocais e gêne-ro 11 , idade 12 , etilismo 13 , alterações respiratórias e tabagismo 4 . Por outro, as condições de trabalho estão associadas ao gênero 14 , idade 15 , problemas respiratórios 15 , etilismo 16 e tabagismo 16 .…”