COVID-19 and Remote Learning: Predictive Factors of Perceived Improvement or Worsening of the Voice in Brazilian Teachers

• Published in: Journal of voice Vol. 38; no. 1; pp. 246.e27 - 246.e38
• Main Authors: Nemr, Katia, Simões-Zenari, Marcia, Cologis, Vanessa Cássia de Almeida, Martins, Glauciene Amaral, Saito, Isabele Tiemi, Gonçalves, Renata da Silva
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-01-2024; The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc
• Subjects: Brazil - epidemiology; Coronavirus; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Male; Occupational Diseases - diagnosis; Pandemic; Pandemics; School Teachers; Self-assessment; Signs and symptoms; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teacher; Voice; Voice disorders; Voice Disorders - diagnosis; Voice Disorders - epidemiology; Brazil; Signs and symptoms; Coronavirus; Teacher; Pandemic; Voice disorders; Self-assessment; Voice
• ISSN: 0892-1997; 1873-4588
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2021.08.010

Given the transformations in teaching modalities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study aimed to evaluate the factors associated with vocal self-perception during the pandemic and to investigate the ability of selected variables to predict changes in vocal self-perception in teachers with professional vocal demands during the investigated period.
Cross-sectional survey.
A total of 1,126 teachers of both genders (ages 19–78 years, average 43.23 years) who were participating in remote teaching activities using their voice answered the online questionnaire. To characterize vocal changes (improvement, worsening or no change), the teachers’ self-assessment of their voice quality was considered; the association between the variables reported in the questionnaire and vocal changes was analyzed, as was the capacity of these variables for predicting voice changes.
Most of the teachers worked at a public school, reported having no previous voice changes or difficulties with their voice during online classes and indicated that they began to use their voice less often and with reduced intensity during the pandemic. Vocal demands were divided between teaching synchronous online classes, recording video lessons and participating in online meetings. Several variables were associated with voice improvement and worsening, and some had the capacity to predict voice changes: improvement in voice quality was associated with working in a public school or as an autonomous teacher, reduced voice use and, to a lesser extent, participating in online meetings, certain vocal habits and a reduction in vocal symptoms; worsening voice quality was associated with working in a private school, increased voice use, using the voice at a higher intensity, difficulty with the voice in online classes, vocal habits and vocal symptoms.
The context of remote education has changed the way teachers communicate during classes, and monitoring is necessary to ensure that necessary adaptations are made to preserve the voice and ensure effective communication.