Objective and Subjective Voice Examination in Turkish Imams.

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Speech and Language Pathology
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Imams are professional voice users who may be at risk for voice disorders.
• Previous research has not extensively studied the vocal health of Turkish imams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate vocal acoustic parameters and Voice Handicap Index (VHI) scores in Turkish imams.
• To compare these parameters with a control group of male nonprofessional voice users.

Main Methods:

• 62 active Turkish imams and 47 male nonprofessional voice users participated.
• Participants completed the VHI questionnaire.
• Acoustic voice analysis (mean fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, harmonics to noise ratio) was conducted using Dr.Speech software.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found in mean fundamental frequency, harmonics to noise ratio, jitter, or shimmer between imams and the control group.
• VHI scores were also similar between the two groups.
• Imams reported experiencing voice problems, but this did not correlate with objective or subjective voice measures.

Conclusions:

• Despite subjective reports of voice problems, Turkish imams did not exhibit adverse changes in acoustic parameters or VHI scores compared to non-voice users.
• Professional voice use in imams may not lead to measurable voice impairment in this cohort.