2010 Volume 51 Issue 4 Pages 305-310
Voice disorders are one of the major occupational hazards among school teachers. Despite many studies on this issue in Europe and North America, the prevalence of voice disorders in teachers is rarely reported in Japan. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of self-reported voice disorders and assessed subjective impairments in association with use of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI).
Self-reported questionnaires were collected from 468 teachers (male: 178, female: 264, unknown: 26) in primary and junior high schools in Kochi Prefecture. Hoarseness and throat pain/discomfort were identified in 54.1% and 51.5% of the subjects, respectively. These symptoms were more likely in females and in teachers with careers spanning 11 or more years. Teachers who are in charge of after-school club activities more frequently complained of voice disorders. However, only a minority of teachers had visited otolaryngologists or received medical treatment.
VHI was employed for subjective assessment of voice disorders. The mean VHI score was 14.7, with a significant variance. This might be due to the circumstance that a voice disorder varies greatly depending on individual awareness. Scores were high in female teachers and in those with careers of 11 years or longer. These results show the necessity of promoting early treatment and preventive education programs for voice disorders in teachers.
