Telemarketers are more likely than the general population to have voice problems that affect their productivity; however, precautions can be taken to help protect against problems, according to an article in the May issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, a member of the JAMA/Archives family of journals.
About the study
Katherine Jones, research associate in UNMC’s department of preventive and societal medicine and first author of the study, and colleagues collected surveys from 304 telemarketing professionals and a control group of 187 community college students who were similar to the study group in terms of age, gender, smoking prevalence and education level to explore the prevalence of voice problems, their impact on productivity and the associated risk factors.
The survey studied demographic, vocational, personality and biological risk factors for voice problems; symptoms of vocal attrition; and effects of any voice problem on work and social interaction.
The researchers found that telemarketers were twice as likely to report symptoms of vocal attrition than the students after adjusting for age, gender and smoking status. Approximately one of three telemarketers said their work was affected by an average of five symptoms of vocal attrition. They also found that vocal problems were associated with modifiable risk factors.
Among the telemarketers, those who reported that their work was affected by vocal problems were more likely to smoke, take drying medications, have frequent colds, sinus problems and dry mouth, and be sedentary.
Vocal attrition: What is it? Who gets it?
Vocal attrition is the result of wear and tear on the vocal mechanism and general reduction in vocal capabilities resulting from acute or continual abuse of the vocalizing system.
Work-related voice disorders can result from repetitive movement or collision of the vocal folds. People who have vocally demanding jobs such as teachers, singers and aerobic instructors, have reported a preponderance of vocal problems. The voice is a primary work tool for one in three jobs in industrialized societies.
Causes of vocal attrition
A combination of lifelong speech habits, biological and vocational factors can cause vocal attrition. Vocal demand, background noise, room acoustics, speaking distance, air quality, posture, stress and equipment design can all impact vocational vocal attrition. Additional personality factors that impact the voice include rapid or loud speech and excessive talking. Vocal health can be impacted by biological factors affecting the vocal mucosa or the respiratory system’s ability to support speech such as smoking, hydration, caffeine intake, medications, respiratory illnesses, chronic allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux and general physical condition.
Other UNMC researchers who participated in the study were Marsha Sullivan, speech pathologist, Jason Sigmon, M.D., and Lynette Hock, statistical coordinator. Read about the study at www.archoto.com.