Supplementary Material for: Voice Risk Factors in Kindergarten Teachers in Greece

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify voice risk factors for female kindergarten teachers and nurses in Heraklion, Crete. Patients and Methods: A questionnaire consisting of voice use and lifestyle activities was given to 200 kindergarten teachers in Heraklion, Crete, of which 151 were returned (75.5%). A group of 89 nurses served as the control group. Both groups also completed the Greek version of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-G). Results: Kindergarten teachers sing more often, speak loudly more often when they are at work and present with more infections of the upper respiratory tract compared to nurses. They talk less than 30 min per day on the phone, drink less alcohol and water and smoke less in comparison with nurses. The median VHI-G score for the kindergarten teachers was significantly higher than that for the nurses. Conclusion: The results suggest that there is a difference in the factors that may be responsible for the appearance of voice problems in kindergarten teachers and in nurses. For kindergarten teachers, the risk factors for voice disorders are primarily related to vocal load factors and for nurses appear to be lifestyle-related more than voice use alone.

研究目的：本研究旨在明确克里特岛伊拉克利翁市女性幼儿园教师与护士的嗓音风险因素。
研究对象与方法：向克里特岛伊拉克利翁市的200名幼儿园教师发放涵盖嗓音使用与生活习惯的问卷，最终回收有效问卷151份，有效回收率为75.5%；另招募89名护士作为对照组。两组受试者均完成希腊语版嗓音障碍指数量表（Voice Handicap Index，简称VHI-G）的测评。
结果：与护士组相比，幼儿园教师在工作中更频繁地进行歌唱、高声讲话，且上呼吸道感染发生率更高；但每日通话时长不足30分钟，饮酒、饮水及吸烟量均低于护士。幼儿园教师的VHI-G中位得分显著高于护士组。
结论：本研究结果表明，幼儿园教师与护士出现嗓音问题的相关影响因素存在差异。对于幼儿园教师而言，嗓音障碍的风险因素主要与嗓音负荷相关；而护士的嗓音问题风险因素则更多与生活习惯有关，而非单纯的嗓音使用行为。