Purpose: to investigate the effects of a voice education program on the Vocal Handicap Index (VHI) scores of elementary school teachers in the Persian education system.
Design: a semi-experimental study, double blind
Method: Female full time teachers allocated at random to training or control groups. Teachers with any history of voice problem during last 2 years were excluded.
Sample size: Sixty-one teachers in the training group and 66 teachers in the control group.
Intervention:Teachers in the
trained group received voice education for 4 weeks, and then continued to follow the program for a further 4 weeks.The control group received no training.
All teachers completed the VHI in the first week. After 8 weeks, all subjects completed the questionnaire again.
Primary outcome: A voice education program may have positive effects on the voice of teachers based on any reduction in VHI scores.
General information
Acronym
Voice handicap index
IRCT registration information
IRCT registration number:IRCT2016021026499N1
Registration date:2017-01-11, 1395/10/22
Registration timing:retrospective
Last update:
Update count:0
Registration date
2017-01-11, 1395/10/22
Registrant information
Name
Maryam Faham
Name of organization / entity
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
Country
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Phone
+98 71 3636 3054
Email address
mfaham@sums.ac.ir
Recruitment status
Recruitment complete
Funding source
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences ( SUMS)
Expected recruitment start date
2012-10-22, 1391/08/01
Expected recruitment end date
2013-02-18, 1391/11/30
Actual recruitment start date
empty
Actual recruitment end date
empty
Trial completion date
empty
Scientific title
The effects of a Voice Education Program on VHI Scores of Elementary School Teachers
Public title
The Effects of a Voice Education Program on School Teachers' voice quality
Purpose
Prevention
Inclusion/Exclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Female teachers aged below 50 years; At least 5 years of teaching experience; Full-time employment, meaning teachers should be in the classroom at least 36 hours per week of 5 working days;
Exclusion Criteria:Any history of: voice therapy or professional singing instruction, heart or pulmonary disease, head& neck surgery or neurological disease, acute voice disorders due to structural complications in the larynx (e.g. nodule, polyp or vocal fold paralysis) in the past 2 years; smokers.
Age
From 20 years old to 49 years old
Gender
Female
Phase
N/A
Groups that have been masked
No information
Sample size
Target sample size:
127
Randomization (investigator's opinion)
Not randomized
Randomization description
Blinding (investigator's opinion)
Double blinded
Blinding description
Placebo
Not used
Assignment
Parallel
Other design features
Secondary Ids
empty
Ethics committees
1
Ethics committee
Name of ethics committee
Research Ethic Committee of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
Street address
SUMS building, Zand Street
City
Shiraz
Postal code
Approval date
2012-08-22, 1391/06/01
Ethics committee reference number
92-01-06-6694
Health conditions studied
1
Description of health condition studied
Probable voice prblem
ICD-10 code
R 49.0
ICD-10 code description
Dysphonia
Primary outcomes
1
Description
Voice quality
Timepoint
Before begininig the training period - At the end of the 8th weeks
Method of measurement
Voice handicap index
Secondary outcomes
empty
Intervention groups
1
Description
For teachers allocated to the training group, the training program lasted for 8 weeks. The entire 8-week program was obligatory, and teachers who did not follow the program were excluded from further analysis. For the first 4 weeks, the teachers participated in a voice education program. There was one session each week, with each session lasting for1 hour.
Participants learned about the mechanisms of voice production, how to protect their voice and larynx, how to identify and avoid vocal abusive behaviors, and how to substitute with non-abusive ones
Session 1:
Participants learned about concepts such as voice rest, keeping the vocal tract hydrated, and ways to reduce abusive voice use.
Session 2:
Participants learned the origins of voice abuse and how to modify their breathing pattern.
The instructors demonstrated the different breathing patterns, but there were no direct therapy sessions.
Session 3:
Teachers were introduced to the signs of laryngeal muscle tension and how to release it
by reduction and modification of abusive behaviors.
Session 4:
The instructors talked about the benefits of healthy nutrition and how to prevent reflux that help protecting larynx and voice.
Sessions 5-8:
There was no direct education for the next four weeks.
However the participants continued to discuss the barriers to adoption of the healthy behaviors, and how to overcome them.
Two instructors who were expert voice therapists and blind to the study hypothesis educated the teachers. They used pamphlets and PowerPoint presentations to support the teaching, with daily charts giving specific instructions for practice. Participants submitted their diaries to the instructor at the following session, in order that the instructors could record and follow up any items that the teachers failed to complete. The Instructors discussed any problems with performing the exercises
Category
Prevention
2
Description
Procedures–control group
At the end of the 8th week and after completion of the study, all educational materials including pamphlets and presentations were delivered to teachers in the control group. Therefore these teachers derived some benefit from taking part in the study. However, the control group did not participate in the instructor-led training program.
Category
Prevention
Recruitment centers
1
Recruitment center
Name of recruitment center
Elementary schools
Full name of responsible person
Ali-Asgar Jamshidi
Street address
Fars Education Center - Hor Street
City
Shiraz
Sponsors / Funding sources
1
Sponsor
Name of organization / entity
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
Full name of responsible person
Dr. Seyyed Basir Hashemi
Street address
SUMS building, Zand Street
City
Shiraz
Grant name
Grant code / Reference number
Is the source of funding the same sponsor organization/entity?
Yes
Title of funding source
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
Proportion provided by this source
100
Public or private sector
empty
Domestic or foreign origin
empty
Category of foreign source of funding
empty
Country of origin
Type of organization providing the funding
empty
Person responsible for general inquiries
Contact
Name of organization / entity
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
Full name of responsible person
Maryam Faham
Position
Lecturer
Other areas of specialty/work
Street address
Rehabilitation faculty, Abiverdi 1st
City
Shiraz
Postal code
Phone
+98 912 670 9404
Fax
Email
Mfaham@sums.ac.ir
Web page address
Person responsible for scientific inquiries
Contact
Name of organization / entity
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
Full name of responsible person
Maryam Faham
Position
Lecturer/ MSc
Other areas of specialty/work
Street address
Rehabilitation Faculty,Abiverdi 1
City
Shiraz
Postal code
Phone
+98 912 670 9404
Fax
Email
Maryam.faham@yahoo.com
Web page address
Person responsible for updating data
Contact
Name of organization / entity
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
Full name of responsible person
Maryam Faham
Position
Lecturer/ MSc
Other areas of specialty/work
Street address
City
Postal code
Phone
00
Fax
Email
Web page address
Sharing plan
Deidentified Individual Participant Data Set (IPD)