Treatment for Teachers With Vocal Fatigue

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Vocal Fatigue; Treatment
• Interventions: Behavioral: Cardiovascular Conditioning Protocol; Other: Voice Production Exercises

• Registration Number: NCT04486989
• Lead Sponsor: East Tennessee State University

Brief Summary

Teachers are a population at high risk for voice disorders given their occupational demands. In a teaching career, a common debilitating symptom among all vocal symptoms experienced is - vocal fatigue, impacting teachers' occupational performance and increasing health care costs. It is therefore essential to identify potential treatment options to alleviate the symptom of vocal fatigue. The purpose of this study is to utilize a body-system level cardiovascular training protocol in comparison to traditional voice production training to alleviate the symptoms of vocal fatigue.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2020-02-04
• Study First Submitted: 2020-07-20
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-07-22
• Study First Posted: 2020-07-27
• Primary Completion: 2023-03-30
• Study Completion: 2023-06-06
• Status Verified: 2023-11
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-11-16
• Last Update Posted: 2023-11-18

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Female
• Target Recruitment: 31

Inclusion Criteria

• Female teachers between the ages of 21-60 years Female instructors and college professors between the ages of 21-60 years
• A score of ≥ 15 on factor 1 of the VFI (tiredness and avoidance of voice use) or a score of ≤ 5 on factor 3 of the VFI (improvement of symptoms or lack thereof with rest)
• Sedentary- wherein participants will need to be completing mild intensity cardiovascular exercise less than 150 minutes in less than 5 days per week

Exclusion Criteria

• Trained athletes
• Trained singers
• Smoking in the past 6months
• Prior history of a vocal fold pathology and current vocal fold pathology

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Cardiovascular Conditioning Protocol	Cardiovascular Conditioning Protocol	Participants will complete a sub maximal cardiovascular training program twice per week for a period of 4 weeks.
Voice Production Exercises	Voice Production Exercises	Participants will complete voice production exercises twice per week for a period of 4 weeks.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in Global Rating of Vocal Fatigue (VAS 100mm)	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment	Global Rating of Vocal Fatigue (VAS 100mm) measures the ability to sustain voice with no fatigue at the end of a working day
Changes in Physiologic Cost of Speaking	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment	Physiologic Cost of Speaking is measured as the rate of oxygen consumption at steady state/ rate of speech (wpm) for each of the two reading tasks
Changes in Post Task Physiological Recovery	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment	Post Task Physiological Recovery is measured as the time, seconds, to reach baseline of oxygen consumption post task (within 0.2ml/kg/min) following each of the reading tasks
Changes in Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI)	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment	Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) is a retrospective scale that measures self-reported symptoms of vocal fatigue
Changes in Oxygen Uptake Kinetics	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment	Oxygen Uptake Kinetics is measured as the pattern of oxygen use during each of the two reading tasks
Changes in Excess Post Exercise Consumption (EPOC)	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment	EPOC is measured as the magnitude of recovery oxygen consumption, ml/kg/min for each of the reading tasks
Changes in Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE)	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment	Borg Scale of Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE)- measures the self-report of vocal effort for each of the reading tasks

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

East Tennessee State University; 🇺🇸 Johnson City, Tennessee, United States