Burden of Voice Use and Voice Disorders in Early Childhood Educators in Singapore.

Abstract

It is well established that teachers are prone to voice-related problems. Much of existing literature focuses on grade-school teachers, and early childhood educators are an understudied demographic. This study aims to determine the burden of voice use and prevalence of voice disorders in early childhood educators in Singapore. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was performed in 2022. This was sent via email to all registered preschools/kindergartens in Singapore. RESULTS: There were a total of 413 responses. Mean age of respondents was 37.4years (range 28-46years) and 99.0% were female. 67.0% were Chinese, 14.8% Malay, 9.5% Indian, and 8.7% Others. Regarding burden of voice use, 81.4% of respondents reported talking for extended periods of time (>30 minutes) and 74.5% reported having to sing on >1 occasion a day. 321/413 respondents (77.9%) had to shout or raise their voice at least once a day, whereas 128 of out 413 respondents (31.1%) reported having to scream at least once a day. Point prevalence of voice disorder (defined by VHI-10 >11 was 37.5% and sVHI-10 >12) was 47.2%. Over the preceding 12months, 72.2% of respondents experienced hoarseness on at least 4-7 occasions, with 41.4% losing their voice. While 52.5% of respondents have taken at least 1 sick day off due to an issue with their voice, only 38% has consulted a GP and 13.6% consulted an ENT specialist on at least one occasion. 45.8% have considered leaving the profession on at least one occasion. Factors significantly associated with both point prevalence and year-long prevalence of voice disorders include large class size of >20 students and needing to shout and/or scream >1 time/day.