Eric J Hunter1, Lynn Maxfield2, Simone Graetzer3. 1. Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. Electronic address: eric.hunter.ejh@gmail.com. 2. National Center for Voice and Speech, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. 3. Acoustics Research Unit, School of Architecture, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Females face a significantly higher risk of presenting with voice problems than males. This discrepancy has been associated with a number of differences in respiratory behavior and the physiology of the laryngeal and endocrine systems. METHODS: In conjunction with established spirometry measures, the Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) was used to determine (1) if there is a relationship between base pulmonary function and vocal fatigue among teachers; and (2) if that relationship is different in females from males. One hundred and twenty-two elementary and middle school teachers (96 females and 26 males) from the Jordan School District in Northern Utah participated in the study. RESULTS: VFI factors were predictors of the outcomes of several raw spirometry measures for female participants, but the same predictive relationship was not found for male participants. Additionally, there appeared to be no relationship between VFI and spirometry measures in females when using normalized, rather than raw, spirometry metrics. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the pulmonary physiology that would result in reduced raw pulmonary function, in combination with other differences associated with gender, may lead to a greater incidence of vocal fatigue among female teachers than their male counterparts.
INTRODUCTION: Females face a significantly higher risk of presenting with voice problems than males. This discrepancy has been associated with a number of differences in respiratory behavior and the physiology of the laryngeal and endocrine systems. METHODS: In conjunction with established spirometry measures, the Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) was used to determine (1) if there is a relationship between base pulmonary function and vocal fatigue among teachers; and (2) if that relationship is different in females from males. One hundred and twenty-two elementary and middle school teachers (96 females and 26 males) from the Jordan School District in Northern Utah participated in the study. RESULTS: VFI factors were predictors of the outcomes of several raw spirometry measures for female participants, but the same predictive relationship was not found for male participants. Additionally, there appeared to be no relationship between VFI and spirometry measures in females when using normalized, rather than raw, spirometry metrics. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the pulmonary physiology that would result in reduced raw pulmonary function, in combination with other differences associated with gender, may lead to a greater incidence of vocal fatigue among female teachers than their male counterparts.
Authors: R Pellegrino; G Viegi; V Brusasco; R O Crapo; F Burgos; R Casaburi; A Coates; C P M van der Grinten; P Gustafsson; J Hankinson; R Jensen; D C Johnson; N MacIntyre; R McKay; M R Miller; D Navajas; O F Pedersen; J Wanger Journal: Eur Respir J Date: 2005-11 Impact factor: 16.671
Authors: M Sliwinska-Kowalska; E Niebudek-Bogusz; M Fiszer; T Los-Spychalska; P Kotylo; B Sznurowska-Przygocka; M Modrzewska Journal: Folia Phoniatr Logop Date: 2006 Impact factor: 0.849
Authors: Eric J Hunter; Lady Catherine Cantor-Cutiva; Eva van Leer; Miriam van Mersbergen; Chaya Devie Nanjundeswaran; Pasquale Bottalico; Mary J Sandage; Susanna Whitling Journal: J Speech Lang Hear Res Date: 2020-02-19 Impact factor: 2.297