Efeito do ruído na voz de educadoras de instituições de educação infantil

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:To analyze the association between noise levels present in preschool institutions and vocal disorders among educators. METHODS:Cross-sectional study conducted in 2009 with 28 teachers from three preschool institutions located in the city of São Paulo (Southeastern Brazil). Sound pressure levels were measured according to Brazilian Technical Standards Association, with the use of a sound level meter. The averages were classifi ed according to the levels of comfort, discomfort, and auditory damage proposed by the Pan American Health Organization. The educators underwent voice evaluation: self-assessment with visual analogue scale, auditory perceptual evaluation using the GRBAS scale, and acoustic analysis utilizing the Praat program. To analyze the association between noise and voice evaluation, descriptive statistics and the chi-square test were employed, with signifi cance of 10% due to sample size. RESULTS:The teachers' age ranged between 21 and 56 years. The noise average was 72.7 dB, considered as damage 2. The professionals' vocal self-assessment ranked an average of 5.1 on the scale, being considered as moderate alteration. In the auditory-perceptual assessment, 74% presented vocal alteration, especially hoarseness; of these, 52% were considered mild alterations. In the acoustic assessment the majority presented fundamental frequency below the expected level. Averages for jitter, shimmer and harmonic-noise ratio showed alterations. An association between the presence of noise between the harmonics and vocal disorders was observed. CONCLUSIONS:There is an association between presence of noise between the harmonics and vocal alteration, with high noise levels. Although most teachers presented mild voice alteration, the self-evaluation showed moderate alteration, probably due to the diffi culty in projection.

Ações para a melhoria do conforto acústico em instituições de educação infantil

“…Just like other studies carried out in schools 6,10,[19][20][21] , the averages of the SPLs were above the acceptable values for these types of institutions. There was a difference of more than 10 dB for the average values and more than 20 dB for the maximum values.…”

“…There is the most amount of noise interference from surrounding areas and play areas and there is a natural increase in vocal intensity. As these areas have little acoustic reverberation, the impact of higher SPL is less for children and educators except in respect of the use of their voices 15 . The staff recognized the noises and were annoyed by them, which also was the case in other studies 29 .…”

“…This will also affect the ability to bring in conflict resolutions and the implementation of limits for children. A person's health can also be placed at risk due to communicative difficulties which could lead to dysphonia 15,29,30 . The exposure to noise and the related difficulties that present themselves can aggravate a person's anxiety and irritability and can cause nervous spells.…”

“…This in turn allows for the search for solutions and actions that aid in the acoustic comfort in schools. In eight children's educational institutions 2,3,6,10 , high levels of SPLs were found, with the average being 68.5 dB and there was a variation of 37.8 dB to 100.5 dB 19 . In a study carried out on 37 municipal schools in the city of João Pessoa (PB), only one class room was evaluated as having noise at an acceptable levels 20 .…”

“…The following are other health problems that can occur due to the exposure to high SPL: an increase in baseline heart rate and respiratory rhythm, changes in blood pressure, intestinal problems, an increase in the production of thyroid hormones and an increase in body tension and stress levels [11][12][13][14] . Excessively loud noises can be prejudicial for professional educators who need to use their voices in a professional capacity 15 . There needs to be sound levels, which include speaking and general noise, which is less than 10 dB for pupils in classes so that they can understand the teacher.…”