Long-Term Effects of a Voice Training Program for Teachers on Vocal and Mental Health.
OBJECTIVES
The voice is an important occupational tool for teachers. Voice training programs have been shown to help strengthen the voice health and endurance. However, longitudinal studies on voice trainings are sparse. In this study, long-term effects nearly 2 years after a voice training program have been investigated.


METHODS
The acoustic voice quality (Dysphonia Severity Index [DSI]), the voice self-concept (Fragebogen zur Erfassung des Stimmlichen Selbstkonzepts), and the health-related quality of life (SF-12) of 55 teachers who participated in a prior voice training program of ten 90 minutes sessions were compared to 33 teachers without voice training. The participants were measured at three times: in a pre- and a post-training survey and in a 2-years follow-up survey.


RESULTS
The trained teachers increased in DSI over all three surveys while the nontrained teachers decreased in DSI with a significant interaction effect. Also the trained teachers significantly increased the awareness of voice use and their mental health compared to the nontrained group.


CONCLUSIONS
The positive effects of the voice training, which have been found between pre- and post-training and in comparison with the control group, clearly sustained in long-term 2 years after the end of the training. This finding emphasizes the importance of voice training for teachers as a long-term investment for a voice-related healthy working life.
['Nusseck|Manfred|M|', 'Immerz|Anna|A|', 'Spahn|Claudia|C|', 'Echternach|Matthias|M|', 'Richter|Bernhard|B|']
D055154:Dysphonia D006801:Humans D008603:Mental Health D009784:Occupational Diseases D011788:Quality of Life D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires D014832:Voice Disorders D014833:Voice Quality D014834:Voice Training
Long-term effects Voice training Voice quality Voice self-concept Vocal health