Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Towards Vocal Health Care Amongst Indian Carnatic Singers

OBJECTIVE

The knowledge, attitudes and practices of Indian Carnatic singers is a dimension that yet to be explored in detail. The aim of the current study was to explore these knowledge, attitudes, and practices amongst Indian Carnatic singers towards vocal health care.

STUDY DESIGN

  Cross-sectional online questionnaire-based study.

METHOD

A cross-sectional online questionnaire-based study design was used to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Indian Carnatic singers towards vocal health care. The study was conducted in two phases, phase I involved questionnaire development and validation while phase II involved collection of data and further analysis.

RESULTS

One hundred trained self-identified Indian Carnatic singers participated in this study. These singers displayed good knowledge and positive attitudes towards vocal health care. A preference (73%) towards home remedies was noted as compared to seeking medical attention. The measures reported by the singers for maintaining good vocal health revealed use of several home remedies, vocal as well as non-vocal measures.

CONCLUSION

The findings of the present study reveal the knowledge and attitude of Indian Carnatic singers towards vocal health care as well as highlight several interesting practices.

Voice Complaints, Vocal and Non-vocal Behaviours Among Beatboxers - A Preliminary Study

INTRODUCTION

Beat boxing is an art of vocal percussion, which involves imitating musical instruments using oral structures. They use techniques like click rolls and trills which involves the usage of entire vocal apparatus for a longer period making use of the human body as a versatile physical instrument to recreate musical beats as well as vocal expressions. The aim and objectives of the present study were to develop a questionnaire and to profile the voice complaints, vocal and non-vocal habits among beatboxers in India.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study design was used to profile the voice complaints, vocal and non-vocal habits among beatboxers in India. Phase I involved questionnaire development and validation. Phase II involved data collection and analysis.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven beatboxers from India participated of which 70.27% were trained. The beatboxers reported of beatboxing musical instruments such as; flute/trumpet, harmonica, guitar, and drums. The commonly practiced vocal techniques was bass (22.07%). Most common vocal complaints included vocal fatigue after long usage of voice (72.97%) and breathing difficulty after performance (86.49%). Further, 76.38% reported of using loud voice during performances. Poor non-vocal habits such as muscle tension during beatboxing (56.76%), breathing difficulty during beatboxing (45.94%). Two most common good non-vocal habits included food intake on time (78.38%) and use of relaxation techniques (72.97%) prior to performance.

CONCLUSION

The present study was a preliminary attempt to profile the voice complaints, vocal and non-vocal habits observed in this upcoming profession of beatboxing. Further, studies are needed to explore the voice of these professionals from a multidimensional perspective.

Prevalence of Voice Problems and Associated Risk Factors Among Tamil-Speaking Imams

PURPOSE

Voice of Professional Voice Users (PVUs) are of particular interest to practicing Speech-Language Pathologists. There is a dearth of studies concerning the prevalence of voice disorders and the associated risk factors among Tamil-speaking Imams. We address this research gap using non-experimental survey research.

METHODS

A questionnaire was framed by reviewing earlier literature. The derived questionnaire was administered to one hundred Tamil-speaking Imams actively involved in religious service in Tamil Nadu. We analyzed the obtained responses quantitatively and qualitatively. We also examined the effect of age on the prevalence of voice disorders and associated risk factors.

RESULTS

Based on survey responses, the career prevalence of voice problems among Tamil-speaking Imams was as high as 89%, and the point prevalence was 64%. The general health status of the Imams were good. However, vocal health was not satisfactory. This study identified several factors that contribute to voice problems, such as constant use of loud voice, acid reflux, unhealthy vocal habits, and insufficient hydration. A positive aspect observed during this study was the absence of smoking and consumption of alcohol among Imams. Even though the Imams presented good awareness of the voice production mechanism, they reported not seeking medical help when facing a voice problem. Current findings report a minimal impact of age-related differences on associated risk factors for voice disorders among the Imams.

CONCLUSIONS

Voice disorders are prevalent among Tamil-speaking Imams. Several risk factors leading to voice disorders among these individuals need to be addressed.

Systems Approaches to Occupational Vocal Health: Considerations for Community Faith Leaders

Systems thinking approaches can benefit the occupational vocal health of vocally reliant workers. This paper explores community faith leaders as an example of a highly vocally reliant occupation, who may benefit from systems thinking being used to support their vocal occupational health and safety. A scoping review of the current literature regarding faith leaders' occupational voice use and vocal health is detailed, including recognised occupational hazards. This article then discusses the unique and potential use of systems thinking for facilitating faith leaders' vocal occupational health and safety. Rather than using a solely clinical perspective, the sociotechnical systems approach and the biopsychosocial-spiritual approach are noted as particularly pertinent for this occupational group.

Extensive long-term verbal memory training is associated with brain plasticity

The human brain has a remarkable capacity to store a lifetime of information through visual or auditory routes. It excels and exceeds any artificial memory system in mixing and integrating multiple pieces of information encoded. In this study, a group of verbal memory experts was evaluated by multiple structural brain analysis methods to record the changes in the brain structure. The participants were professional Hindu pandits (priests/scholars) trained in reciting Vedas and other forms of Hindu scriptures. These professional Vedic priests are experts in memorization and recitation of oral texts with precise diction. Vedas are a collection of hymns. It is estimated that there are more than 20,000 mantras and shlokas in the four Vedas. The analysis included the measurement of the grey and white matter density, gyrification, and cortical thickness in a group of Vedic pandits and comparing these measures with a matched control group. The results revealed an increased grey matter (GM) and white matter (WM) in the midbrain, pons, thalamus, parahippocampus, and orbitofrontal regions in pandits. The whole-brain corelation analysis using length of post-training  teaching duration showed significant correlation with the left angular gyrus. We also found increased gyrification in the insula, supplementary motor area, medial frontal areas, and increased cortical thickness (CT) in the right temporal pole and caudate regions of the brain. These findings, collectively, provide unique information regarding the association between crucial memory regions in the brain and long-term practice of oral recitation of scriptures from memory with the proper diction that also involved controlled breathing.