Telehealth: immediate effects of the indirect vocal therapy program in vocal aspects of fitness instructors

• Grant number: 20/08766-6
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): December 01, 2020
• Effective date (End): November 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Speech Therapy
• Principal researcher: Kelly Cristina Alves Silverio
• Grantee: Catarina Aguiar Ferreira Lima
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru (FOB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The fitness instructors are professional voice users/occupational voice users that can be considered in risk to develop voice disorders due to workplace and excessive use of voice. The Indirect Vocal Therapy (ITV) is a intervention method that aims to establish healthy vocal patterns through orientation and elimination of harmful habits, as well as the practice to care voice. The literature show that this type of intervention is becoming more tested among professional voice users, ensuring good results. However, studies in fitness instructors were not founded. It is understood by telehealth the Utilization of technologies, which/that enable the achievement health services even with the distance between the health professional and patience. Telehealth has been shown a good option for the application of health treatments,Because there's more facility to schedule, reduces the difficulties with long distances and distancing in case of infectious disease. Objective: To verify the effects of the program of indirect vocal therapy (PIVT) applied through telehealth in a group of fitness instructors in self-evaluation and vocal quality. Methods: Will be selected initially 30 fitness instructors of fitness center, with age within 18 and 50 years of both sex. They will be submitted 3 times (before, after and 1 month after the end of the PIVT) to the procedure of evaluation. The voice self evaluation will be realized with the use of protocols Voice Handicap Index, Índice de Distúrbios da Voz, Vocal Symptom Scale. The vocal quality evaluation (perceptual-auditory evaluation and acoustic measures) will be realized from record sustained vowel /a/ (three times), count from 1 to 10 and spontaneous speech. The electroglottographic signals will be extracted from the sustained vowel. The PIVT will be composed by 8 virtual meetings with 30 minutes long, 2 times a week. It will be delivered, via e-mail, the written material of the topics covered in each meeting.