The Prevalence of Teachers' Vocal Symptoms in Municipal Network of Education in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to provide an epidemiological overview of the teacher's voice and to examine the prevalence of voice problems at Municipal Board Education in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, and quantitative study. Of the 4957 teachers registered with Municipal Board Education (Semed)/2013, 394 participated in this research. All seven urban areas of Campo Grande (Prosa, Bandeira, Anhanduizinho, Lagoa, Segredo, Centro, and Imbirussu) were sampled. The Ferreira et al. protocol was adapted and used for data collection. The Likert scale was used as the measurement method.

RESULTS

There was a high prevalence of vocal symptoms. Teachers had multiple symptoms related to the use of voice at work and acknowledged that the symptoms had adverse effects on their professional performance.

CONCLUSION

The severity of voice problems that the teachers experienced in daily speech therapy services and in the Municipal Network of Education was found in a significant number of participants in this research.