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Voice problems are common among teachers due to their job characteristics. Thus, the quality of teaching, daily communication, emotion would be adversely affected. However, the past studies mainly focused on primary school and preschool teachers. There is lack of investigation on voice problems of secondary school teachers. Moreover, the need for voice use training for secondary school teachers was not addressed in the past. This study investigated the prevalence of voice problems in secondary school teachers in Hong Kong and the need for preventive education. A questionnaire was decided with domains in demographics, job natures, impact on voice disorders, risk factors, history of seeking help because of voice problems, view on different treatment options and opinion towards the need of voice protection training. Subjects were recruited from four local secondary schools in Hong Kong. 85 questionnaires were collected and analyzed. The results showed a high prevalence of voice disorders (75%) among secondary school teachers. Also it revealed different levels of impact on work performance, emotion and daily communication. Laryngitis was the only risk factor found to be significantly correlated with the voice disorder. On the other hand, the rate of seeking professional help and their knowledge about voice rehabilitation were low. Most of the respondents realized the need for voice protection training. It suggested that the voice problems of secondary school teachers should be highlighted and more voice protection information and voice training should be provided. / published_or_final_version / Surgery / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

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Differences may exist between the voice qualities of those who professionally use and train their voices and those who do not. The examination of fundamental frequency and frequency range m actresses and non-actresses is integral to determining voice quality differences in these populations. These differences, whether the result of frequent use or training of the voice, may exist relative to fatiguing conditions such as may be experienced by actresses in the course of their work. Fatigue has been shown to produce greater effects in normals than in performers, particularly in singers (Gelfer, Andrews, and Schmidt, 1991). Little research has been found comparing actresses to non-actresses in such an interaction effect. In order to determine whether a separate set of normative values should be sought for actresses, it is first necessary to determine whether significant differences exist between these populations in voice quality parameters. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether or not significant changes in fundamental frequency and frequency range occurred in non-actresses relative to actresses as a result of fatigue. The subjects for the study included ten actresses between the ages of 20 and 30 who had a minimum of one quarter of voice training and three years of acting experience and ten women of the same age group who had no voice training or experience in acting. Each subject passed a puretone audiometric screening, had a negative history of voice disorders, and had not smoked within the last year. These two groups were evaluated for: 1) fundamental frequency in prolonged productions of the vowel lal; 2) speaking fundamental frequency in connected speech; 3) frequency range in sung scales; and 4) frequency range in connected speech. Data was statistically analyzed using one way ANOV A tests with repeated measures. No significant interactions occurred between group and time, suggesting that non-actresses did not produce a greater shift than did actresses in fundamental frequency or frequency range as a result of fatigue. These results contradicted some findings and supported other findings of previous research based on similar samples.