Treatment for Teachers With Vocal Fatigue

Cardiovascular Conditioning in the Treatment of Vocal Fatigue

Teachers are a population at high risk for voice disorders given their occupational demands. In a teaching career, a common debilitating symptom among all vocal symptoms experienced is - vocal fatigue, impacting teachers' occupational performance and increasing health care costs. It is therefore essential to identify potential treatment options to alleviate the symptom of vocal fatigue. The purpose of this study is to utilize a body-system level cardiovascular training protocol in comparison to traditional voice production training to alleviate the symptoms of vocal fatigue.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Treatment; Vocal Fatigue
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Cardiovascular Conditioning Protocol; Other: Voice Production Exercises

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 31
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Chaya Nanjundeswaran (Guntupalli), Ph.D.; Phone Number: 423-439-4036; Email: nanjundeswar@etsu.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Tennessee
    • Johnson City, Tennessee, United States, 37614
      • East Tennessee State University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 21 years to 45 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female teachers between the ages of 21-60 years Female instructors and college professors between the ages of 21-60 years
• A score of ≥ 15 on factor 1 of the VFI (tiredness and avoidance of voice use) or a score of ≤ 5 on factor 3 of the VFI (improvement of symptoms or lack thereof with rest)
• Sedentary- wherein participants will need to be completing mild intensity cardiovascular exercise less than 150 minutes in less than 5 days per week

Exclusion Criteria:

• Trained athletes
• Trained singers
• Smoking in the past 6months
• Prior history of a vocal fold pathology and current vocal fold pathology

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cardiovascular Conditioning Protocol; Participants will complete a sub maximal cardiovascular training program twice per week for a period of 4 weeks.	Behavioral: Cardiovascular Conditioning Protocol; Participants will be randomized to either one of the treatment arms to receive treatment for a period of 4 weeks.
Active Comparator: Voice Production Exercises; Participants will complete voice production exercises twice per week for a period of 4 weeks.	Other: Voice Production Exercises; Participants will be randomized to either one of the treatment arms to receive treatment for a period of 4 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in Physiologic Cost of Speaking	Physiologic Cost of Speaking is measured as the rate of oxygen consumption at steady state/ rate of speech (wpm) for each of the two reading tasks	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment
Changes in Oxygen Uptake Kinetics	Oxygen Uptake Kinetics is measured as the pattern of oxygen use during each of the two reading tasks	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment
Changes in Post Task Physiological Recovery	Post Task Physiological Recovery is measured as the time, seconds, to reach baseline of oxygen consumption post task (within 0.2ml/kg/min) following each of the reading tasks	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment
Changes in Excess Post Exercise Consumption (EPOC)	EPOC is measured as the magnitude of recovery oxygen consumption, ml/kg/min for each of the reading tasks	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment
Changes in Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE)	Borg Scale of Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE)- measures the self-report of vocal effort for each of the reading tasks	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment
Changes in Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI)	Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) is a retrospective scale that measures self-reported symptoms of vocal fatigue	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment
Changes in Global Rating of Vocal Fatigue (VAS 100mm)	Global Rating of Vocal Fatigue (VAS 100mm) measures the ability to sustain voice with no fatigue at the end of a working day	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: East Tennessee State University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 4, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 30, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): June 6, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 20, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 22, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): July 27, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 18, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 16, 2023
• Last Verified: November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Fatigue
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1R15DC017014-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); 0819.1s-ETSU (Other Identifier: East Tennessee State University (ETSU))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No