Respiratory and Laryngeal Function in Teachers: Pre- and Postvocal Loading Challenge

Area of Science:

• Occupational health
• Speech and hearing science
• Vocal pedagogy

Background:

• Teachers are at high risk for voice disorders due to demanding vocal tasks.
• Understanding the physiological impact of vocal loading is crucial for teacher well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate laryngeal and respiratory physiological changes in teachers following a standardized vocal loading challenge.
• To quantify changes in vocal effort, tiredness, and acoustic/aerodynamic parameters.

Main Methods:

• Twelve teachers participated in a 1-hour vocal loading task (reading aloud in noise).
• Vocal effort, tiredness, sound pressure level, lung volumes, cepstral peak prominence, and low/high spectral ratio were measured before and after the challenge.

Main Results:

• Significant increases in vocal effort, vocal tiredness, utterance length, and sound pressure level were observed post-challenge.
• A significant decrease in lung volume (% vital capacity per syllable) indicated altered breathing patterns.

Conclusions:

• A 1-hour vocal loading challenge increases subjective vocal effort and tiredness in teachers.
• Objective laryngeal and respiratory measures showed resilience, with parameters like lung volume and voice quality remaining largely within normal limits.
• Further research is necessary to elucidate the long-term effects of vocal use and loading on teachers' voices.