Diagnosis of dysphonia among municipal employees: individual and work factors.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between occupational status and the distribution of dysphonia.

METHODS

In 2009, a sample of 5646 (14%) of the population of 38,304 municipal employees of Belo Horizonte was obtained. A questionnaire was made available on an Internet Web site that could be entered only after the respondent had given consent. The response variable was drawn up with reference to the question: "Has a doctor ever told you that you have dysphonia?," for which the possible responses were yes or no. The following variables were included in the logistic regression model: sociodemographic data, work characteristics, and lifestyle habits.

RESULTS

The associations relating to dysphonia were found to be different between men and women. Differing from men, occupational factors influenced the outcome among women. Among men, there were significant associations between dysphonia and sociodemographic characteristics, health-related factors, and lifestyle factors.

CONCLUSION

Gender differentials should be taken into consideration in health promotion actions among this group of municipal employees.