Vocal symptoms among teachers with and without voice education

This study investigates the amount of voice training received by teachers in Finland and compares the incidence of vocal symptoms among teachers with shorter, longer or no vocal education. Participating were 124 primary, secondary and upper secondary school teachers; 63% of the teachers had received no vocal training, 15% had received short-term and 22% longer-term training. The incidence of symptoms was lowest in teachers with long-term training and highest in teachers with short-term training. The differences were non-significant among all teachers and females, but significant among males. Speech training seems to protect male teachers from vocal problems better than female teachers. Short-term training may lead to increased awareness of vocal symptoms, which can be helpful in voice protection.