title: [The association between health-related quality of life and voice as evaluated by an acoustic analysis in elderly Japanese nursing home residents].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We carried out a cross-sectional study investigating the association between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and voice, as evaluated by an acoustic analysis, in elderly residents of a nursing home.
  
  
  METHODS
  The HRQOL of 61 elderly nursing home residents (mean age: 82.1±8.3 years) was assessed via the SF-8 Health Survey questionnaire, Japanese version (SF-8). The subjects' voices were recorded and analyzed by a voice assessment software program, which calculated the pitch period perturbation quotient (PPQ), amplitude perturbation quotient (APQ), and noise-to-harmonic ratio (NHR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects who scored under the 25th percentile on general health (GH), vitality (VT), or physical summary (PCS) in the SF-8 showed significantly higher PPQ, APQ, and NHR scores in comparison to their counterparts (p<0.05). After adjustment for age, lower GH scores were found to be associated with higher PPQ, APQ, and NHR scores; lower VT scores were associated with higher APQ and NHR scores; and lower PCS scores were associated with higher APQ and NHR scores (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the acoustic analysis indicated that voice was associated with HRQOL in the elderly nursing home residents of the present study. Among the acoustic parameters that were analyzed, PPQ, APQ, and NHR may be an influential factor that can be used to assess HRQOL, independently of the effects of age, in elderly individuals.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Science, Kyushu University of Health and Welfare.
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: Kiyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morisaki
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sumi
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires