Teachers' Working Postures and Their Effects on the Voice

Area of Science:

• Occupational health
• Speech science
• Ergonomics

Background:

• Voice disorders are common among educators.
• Teaching involves prolonged vocalization and specific working postures.
• The relationship between occupational postures and voice health in teachers requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between working postures and voice symptoms in teachers.
• To identify specific unergonomic postures prevalent in the teaching profession.
• To explore the correlation between posture and voice parameters like sound pressure level (SPL).

Main Methods:

• Thirty teachers were assessed for working postures (torso, head, shoulders, upper back, arms) and furniture adjustability.
• Voice symptoms were evaluated using self-assessment forms.
• Voice recordings were analyzed for fundamental frequency, sound pressure level (SPL), and alpha ratio before, during, and after teaching.

Main Results:

• The head was unergonomically positioned in 60% of teachers.
• Frequently observed unergonomic postures included hunched upper back (55%), raised shoulders (46%), and twisted torso (43%).
• Unergonomic postures, particularly head and torso twists, were associated with voice symptoms and increased SPL, with more than three unergonomic postures leading to higher SPL and more frequent voice breaks.

Conclusions:

• Unergonomic working postures significantly affect teachers' voices.
• Evaluating working postures is crucial for voice ergonomic assessments in clinical practice.
• Interventions addressing occupational postures may help prevent voice problems in educators.