title: Influence of gender and age on the Nasality Severity Index 2.0 in Dutch-speaking Flemish children and adults.
abstract: This study aimed to explore the influence of gender and age on the Nasality Severity Index 2.0 (NSI 2.0), an instrumental multiparametric index to determine hypernasality. Additionally, reference values will be established for this new index. Influence of gender and age on the NSI 2.0 was explored in 80 Flemish-speaking children (4-12 years; 40 boys, 40 girls) and 60 Flemish-speaking adults (18-60 years, 30 men, 30 women) without resonance disorders by determining its incorporated acoustic parameters: nasalance of the vowel/u/and an oral text, determined by a Nasometer, and voice low tone to high tone ratio (VLHR) of the vowel/i/. The equation yields NSI 2.0 = 13.20 - (0.0824 × nasalance/u/(%)) - (0.26 × nasalance oral text (%)) - (0.242 × VLHR/i/4.47*F0 Hz (dB)). No effect of gender or age was found on the NSI 2.0 in children. However, significant differences were found for the NSI 2.0, nasalance of/u/and an oral text between adult men and women. Additionally, an interaction effect between gender and age was found for these parameters. Consequently, separate reference values for the NSI 2.0 in children, adult men and adult women were established. Based on these reference scores, deviation of the NSI 2.0 score in patients with resonance disorders can be defined, which can determine the need for (additional) intervention. Further research can explore the possible influence of language on the index.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bettens
authors.affiliation: a Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.|b Department of Biomedical Physics , University of Antwerp , Antwerp , Belgium.
authors.forename: Floris L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Wuyts
authors.affiliation: a Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jonckheere
authors.affiliation: a Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Shanah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Platbrood
authors.affiliation: a Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.|c Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology , University of Pretoria , Pretoria , South Africa.
authors.forename: Kristiane
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Lierde
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001530:Belgium; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013068:Speech Production Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D014681:Velopharyngeal Insufficiency; D014732:Vibration; D014833:Voice Quality; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Nasality severity index; age; gender; hypernasality; reference values