Voice Activity and Participation Profile (VAPP) in assessing the effects of voice disorders on patients' quality of life: validity and reliability of the Finnish version of VAPP.

The Voice Activity and Participation Profile (VAPP) is a self-assessment questionnaire describing the limitation of activities and participation of individuals with dysphonia. In this study, the validity and reliability of the Finnish translation of the VAPP was evaluated using 43 outpatients with various functional and organic voice disorders. A control group was formed consisting of 43 subjects matched according to age, gender, and profession, with normal voices. The VAPP was sensitive for voice disorders and items in the questionnaire had high internal consistency. The VAPP had a strong correlation with the Voice Handicap Index. The results showed that the questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument to measure voice-related quality of life. It also showed that limitations in activity and participation levels should be examined separately.