QUANTIFYING THE OCCUPATIONAL VOICE USE OF TEACHERS

Abstract

This study quantified vocal dose measures for teachers during both on-work and off-work periods using a smartphone-based ambulatory voice monitor, comparing their occupational voice use to that in other studies that have reported percent phonation ranging from 17% to 30%. Participants included 26 full-time, female teachers with and without a diagnosed voice disorder between 23 and 55 years of age across multiple grades and subjects. By estimating phonatory activity from anterior neck-surface vibration, vocal dose measures were computed for three time periods: workday (9:00am-2:30pm), off-work weekday (4:30pm-11:59pm), and off-work weekend days (through 11:59pm). The monitored teachers exhibited average percent phonation times of 16.2% (workday), 8.4% (off-work weekday), and 8.0% (off-work weekend). No statistically significant difference for vocal dose measures was found between off-work weekdays and weekend days. Overall, vocal dose measures were approximately two times higher during the workday relative to off-work time periods. This study provides values for vocal dose measures for schoolteachers using ambulatory voice monitoring technology. Future work is needed to continue to understand occupational voice use and its associated risks related to voice health, with the ultimate goal of preventing and managing voice disorders in individuals engaged in high-risk occupations.