Maximum Phonation Time and Body Mass Index in Nondysphonic Eutrophic Children.

BACKGROUND

Literature presents controversial maximum phonation time values in children.

OBJECTIVE

Verify and correlate the maximum phonation time of vowels /a, i, u/ and the body mass index of children.

METHOD: Evaluation of 484 children, eutrophic and without dysphonia, aged from 4:00 to 7:11 years.

SAMPLING: questionnaire, audiometric screening, auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice, and assessment of the body mass index.

DATA COLLECTION: measurement of the maximum phonation time of /a, i, u/. Descriptive statistics, t test, and multiple regression at 5% significance.

RESULTS

/a:/ = 3.77 seconds at age 4:00 years, 5 seconds at 5:00, 5.85 seconds at 6:00, and 7.5 seconds at 7:00 for boys, and 3.89 seconds, 4.89 seconds, 5.61 seconds, and 6.61 seconds for girls, respectively; /i:/ = 3.49 seconds at age 4:00 years, 4.96 seconds at 5:00, 5.72 seconds at 6:00, and 6.88 seconds at 7:00 for boys, and 3.49 seconds, 4.73 seconds, 5.41 seconds, and 6.63 seconds for girls, respectively; /u:/ = 3.64 seconds at age 4:00 years, 4.85 seconds at 5:00, 5.76 seconds at 6:00, and 7.08 seconds at 7:00 for boys, and 3.54 seconds, 4.73 seconds, 5.64 seconds, and 6.47 seconds for girls, respectively. There were no significant differences between genders, except for /a:/ at age 7:00 years. The correlations were not significant.

CONCLUSION

Maximum phonation time of /a, i, u/ increased with age and its value in seconds was approximately equal to the age in years. At the age 7:00 years, /a:/ from boys was longer. The body mass index did not show influence on the maximum phonation times.