title: Work-Related Determinants of Voice Complaints Among School Workers: An Eleven-Month Follow-Up Study.
abstract: We determined the natural course of voice complaints among school workers and established the risk factors associated with incidence and chronic voice complaints.
  
  
  
  We conducted a longitudinal study with an 11-month follow-up among 682 school workers. Participants filled out a questionnaire on individual and work-related conditions and the nature and severity of voice complaints. All participants who provided baseline data were contacted in the 11-month follow-up, if they were still working in the school. Short-term environmental measurements of physical work-related factors were conducted during visits at the workplaces. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine associations between work-related factors and voice complaints.
  
  
  
  We found a high occurrence of chronic voice complaints, a low recovery of 22%, and an annual incidence of 44%. A self-reported high noise level at the workplace was associated with the incidence of voice complaints (odds ratio = 2.45). Self-reported poor acoustics in the classroom was associated with chronic voice complaints (odds ratio = 1.76).
  
  
  
  This unique longitudinal study among school workers presented some indications that self-reported high noise levels may contribute to the incidence of voice complaints, whereas self-reported poor acoustic conditions may be an important associated factor of chronic voice complaints.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lady Catherine Cantor
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Cutiva
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Burdorf
mesh_terms: D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009622:Noise; D009790:Occupations; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014831:Voice; D014832:Voice Disorders