April 16th: The World Voice Day

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Brazilian version of the Speech-Specific Reinvestment Scale - SSRS

PURPOSE

To present the cross-cultural equivalence of the Brazilian version of the Specific Reinvestment Scale in Speech - SRRS through its cultural and linguistic adaptation.

METHODS

After the SSRS was translated into Brazilian Portuguese, the back-translation was done and the items were compared. Discrepancies were modified by consensus of a committee of SLPs. The SSRS, named "Escala de Reinvestimento Específico na Fala - EREF", has 39 questions and six alternatives in the answer key: "strongly disagree", "disagree", "slightly disagree", "slightly agree", "agree" and "strongly agree". The mean score is computed by the sum of each subdimension. Negative items may not be included in the EREF scoring or need reversed coding process before using them. For cultural equivalence, the EREF was applied to a total of 74 professionals working in an activity involving communication with the public, speakers of Brazilian Portuguese as a first language, with an extra item in the answer key - "not applicable" - to identify issues that might not have been understood or were not appropriate for the target population and Brazilian culture.

RESULTS

The scale was initially applied to 56 participants, thirteen of whom found it difficult to complete 27 questions. After adaptation of those sentences, the modified EREF was applied to 13 more participants and no further cultural and / or conceptual barriers were found.

CONCLUSION

Cultural equivalence between the SSRS and its translated version to Brazilian Portuguese - EREF was verified. The next steps for the EREF validation for Brazilian Portuguese will be carried out.

Seasonal Variations in Public Inquiries into Laryngitis: An Infodemiology Study

OBJECTIVES

Acute laryngitis is a common disease with self-limiting nature. Since the leading cause is attributed to viral infections and thus self-limiting, many affected individuals do not seek professional medical help. However, because the major symptom of hoarseness imposes a substantial burden in everyday life, it might be speculated that web-based search interest on this condition follows incidence rates, with highest peaks during winter months. The aim of this study was to evaluate global public health-information seeking behaviour on laryngitis-related search terms.

METHODS

We utilized Google Trends to assess country-specific, representative laryngitis-related search terms for English and non-English speaking countries of both hemispheres. Extracted time series data from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, covering a timeframe between 2004 and 2019 were first assessed for reliability, followed by seasonality analysis using the cosinor model.

RESULTS

Direct comparisons revealed different, representative laryngitis-related search terms for English- and non-English speaking countries. Extracted data showed a trend of higher reliability in countries with more inhabitants. Subsequent graphical analysis revealed winter peaks in all countries from both hemispheres. Cosinor analysis confirmed these seasonal variations to be significant (all P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Public interest in laryngitis-related, online health information displayed seasonal variations in countries from both hemispheres, with highest interest during winter months. These findings emphasize the importance to optimize the distribution of reliable, web-based health education in order to prevent the spread of misinformation and to improve health literacy among general populations.

Teachers' work and health in Brazil: thoughts on the history of research, strides, and challenges

This Essay discusses the theme of teachers' work and health in Brazil. The objectives are to describe the initial history of research on teachers' health, discuss elements leading to a consensus on the characterization of the group's work and principal health problems, and systematize the main strides and challenges. The Essay draws on more than two decades of research and practice in this field. Based on this experience, the authors identify the movements, the accumulated evidence, and prospects for future development. The elements brought to the discussion point to substantial growth in the field: the number of studies, the diversity and scope of topics, the groups of men and women teachers studied, and the experiences with application of the knowledge (programs and interventions). Despite these strides, the studies and practices still emphasize the individual and the disease, with little or no attention to work factors (work process and management) in the health/disease process. Issues pertaining to gender differences (in work and in health status) also remain invisible. There is little linkage between researchers and teachers' movements (a relevant characteristic of the first initiatives in the field). There are no public policies to regulate the workplace and work management. The contributions to the discussion provide insight for thought to assist the identification of critical nodes and analytical scenarios with the potential for progress in this field of research and intervention.

Em busca do reconhecimento do distúrbio de voz como doença relacionada ao trabalho: movimento histórico-político

Resumo A elevada prevalência de alteração vocal no exercício do trabalho sinaliza um adoecimento coletivo, determinado pelo desgaste da voz sob precárias condições ocupacionais. Este artigo descreve a construção, no Brasil, do movimento histórico-político em busca do reconhecimento do distúrbio de voz como doença relacionada ao trabalho (DVRT). Trata-se de uma revisão narrativa, com relato dos processos históricos, incluindo os sujeitos sociais, a produção de conhecimento, os fatos que marcaram a trajetória do movimento e as proposições de uma agenda estratégica, tendo em vista a urgência da inclusão do DVRT na lista de doenças relacionadas ao trabalho do Ministério da Saúde. Foram adotados três eixos de análise: a) técnico-científico, sobre os avanços na caracterização do distúrbio de voz e do nexo com o trabalho; b) jurídico-institucional, relativo às formas institucionais de reconhecimento jurídico deste nexo; e c) político-profissional, no qual se discute a articulação dos atores sociais na defesa do reconhecimento do DVRT. Durante quase duas décadas destacam-se o importante papel da Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo no fomento às discussões e as principais dificuldades para o reconhecimento formal do DVRT.

25 anos de cuidados com a voz profissional: avaliando ações

OBJETIVO: analisar as informações adquiridas por profissionais da voz em ações preventivas e verificar o impacto destas para a saúde vocal. MÉTODOS: participaram 100 profissionais da voz, de ambos os sexos, entre 16 e 55 anos, sendo professores, locutores, cantores, atores e operadores de tele-serviços. Os sujeitos estudados responderam a um questionário sobre cuidados com a voz, a proveniência das orientações recebidas e a aplicação das mesmas e, ainda, a qualificação destas quanto sua eficácia. RESULTADOS: as informações mais citadas, a partir das orientações recebidas foram: hidratação, apontada por 66% (N=66) dos sujeitos e o consumo de maçã citado por 32% (N=32), não sendo, no entanto, as mais apontadas como utilizadas pelo grupo estudado. Os exercícios de aquecimento vocal são utilizados por todos os sujeitos que os referiram (12%), sendo mais praticados pelos cantores. Para 66% dos sujeitos as informações e orientações foram recebidas de diversas fontes profissionais, enquanto que 34% referiram o fonoaudiólogo. Os sujeitos que referiram seguir as orientações sobre os cuidados com a voz (58%, N=58) afirmaram observar melhora na qualidade vocal. CONCLUSÃO: o relevante desconhecimento por parte dos profissionais da voz estudados em relação aos cuidados com a saúde vocal pode ser atribuído a pouca importância dada à saúde preventiva. No entanto, os sujeitos que afirmaram seguir as orientações recebidas confirmam melhoras na voz. Conclui-se que o fonoaudiólogo pode ser considerado como referência de orientação, quando comparado com os diferentes seguimentos de profissionais.