Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Community Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • 2 Biostatistics and Research Methodology Unit, School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • 3 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Oman Med J, 2019 Jan;34(1):49-55.
PMID: 30671184 DOI: 10.5001/omj.2019.08

Abstract

Objectives: We sought to determine the effectiveness of a voice care program among primary school teachers in a northeastern district in Malaysia.
Methods: We conducted a randomized community trial in eight primary schools in a northeastern district in Malaysia. The self-administered and validated Malay-Voice Handicap Index-10 (M-VHI-10) questionnaire was used to assess overall voice handicap scores pre-intervention and eight weeks post-intervention. Teachers with a score of five or more (n = 86) were randomized into intervention (n = 41) and control groups (n = 45). The intervention group received portable voice amplifiers and vocal hygiene instruction, which was delivered by lectures and a booklet. The control group was not prescribed any intervention.
Results: The sociodemographic, lifestyle, and occupational characteristics of the teachers (except maximum number of students per class) were similar between both groups. The baseline M-VHI-10 scores between both groups were also comparable. After the intervention phase, there was a significant effect observed in the total M-VHI-10 scores (p = 0.021, F-stat (df): 5.33 (1,79)) between both groups after controlling for the maximum number of students per class.
Conclusions: Our results support the use of voice amplification in adjunct with vocal hygiene instruction as a prevention and treatment modality to reduce voice handicap among teachers. Our study demonstrated encouraging evidence on the low-cost voice care program as well as the success of group and workplace-based approaches in the school setting.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.