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Voice burden in teachers and non‐teachers in a UK population: A questionnaire‐based survey
Author(s) -
Gadepalli Chaitanya,
Fullwood Catherine,
Ascott Frances,
Homer Jarrod James
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
clinical otolaryngology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.914
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1749-4486
pISSN - 1749-4478
DOI - 10.1111/coa.13437
Subject(s) - medicine , questionnaire , medical education , population , survey research , family medicine , environmental health , applied psychology , sociology , psychology , social science
Objective To characterise the burden of voice disorders in teachers in a UK population, compare it with non‐teachers and identify groups of teachers who may be particularly at risk of developing a voice problem. Design Questionnaire‐based survey of primary and secondary school teachers and non‐teachers. Questions consisted of general demographics, VHI‐10 and questions relating to voice problems. Methods Distribution of questionnaires to teachers and non‐teachers and statistical analysis of the responses. Setting University teaching hospital. Participants Teachers and non‐teachers in a region of North West England. Main outcome measures Identification of risk factors for voice problems in teachers, compared to non‐teachers. Results A total of 210 primary and 244 secondary school teachers and 304 non‐teachers participated in the questionnaire survey. Response rates were 67.9% from primary schools, 41.2% from secondary schools and 40.0% from the non‐teachers. 30.0% of teachers and 9.0% of non‐teachers had reported problems with their voice. 12.8% of teachers and 2.0% of non‐teachers had missed work due to voice problems. 14.1% of teachers and 5.3% non‐teachers had seen a general practitioner for voice‐related problems, whilst 7.1% of teachers and 6.3% of non‐teachers had been referred to an otolaryngologist or speech therapist for voice problems. Factors related to VHI‐10 ( P < .05) were identified. Conclusions Voice disorders are an occupational health problem for teachers, with a significant burden of these disorders in this group of teachers in the UK. We have identified risk factors that could be exploited to identify groups of teachers who would benefit from early intervention.