Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Department of Surgery - Section of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
J Voice. 2021 Nov;35(6):859-868. doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.03.014. Epub 2020 Apr 30.
Vocal hygiene is vitally important for protecting vocal quality and promoting vocal longevity. It includes adequate hydration, avoidance of environmental irritants, and refraining from phonotraumatic behaviors such as screaming, excessive talking, and throat clearing. Formal singing training in addition to enhancing singing techniques, is also assumed to promote good vocal hygiene. Consequently, we investigated whether collegiate singers with formal training are more likely to practice good vocal hygiene habits than untrained collegiate singers.
We completed a prospective cohort study, where collegiate singers at Stanford University were voluntarily enrolled in an annual vocal health clinic. Full laryngeal exams were performed and demographic information, formal vocal training status, and information on vocal hygiene habits were obtained through questionnaires. The results were then analyzed by grouping singers as "untrained" if less than 1 year of formal training, and "trained" if greater than a year.
A total of 82 singers were included for analysis, with 49 (59.8%) having greater than one year of formal training. Trained singers were more likely to employ a primary musical singing style of classical or operatic singing compared to untrained singers who were more likely to utilize "R&B" (P < 0.001). No significant differences were found between groups for hydration practices (P = 0.20), caffeine consumption (P = 0.73), warm up practices (P = 0.08), and phonotraumatic behaviors. Alcohol consumption, smoking tobacco, marijuana, e-cigarette usage was similar between groups. Overall, 11% of our sample reported intermittent less than daily marijuana use, with one singer reporting daily consumption. None of the singers in this sample used e-cigarettes. These rates are noticeably lower than the agematched United States population. Perceptions of cigarettes, marijuana, electronic cigarettes, alcohol, and caffeine were also the same between groups, with the vast majority of singers perceiving these agents as harmful to the voice (64%-100% depending on the agent). No laryngeal pathology was identified during laryngeal examination of any singers.
Vocal hygiene habits are similar between trained and untrained collegiate singers. This likely relates to a desire for vocal longevity irrespective of prior training. This may dispel the long-held assumption that formal training was necessary to develop good vocal habits. We do however, present a very homogenous, highly educated sample of collegiate singers from Stanford University, having significantly less at-risk behavior than their aged-matched counterparts in the general US population. A lack of laryngeal pathology despite extensive vocal demands may also be reflective of good vocal hygiene habits.
保护嗓音质量和延长嗓音寿命至关重要。这包括充分补水、避免环境刺激物，以及避免尖叫、过度说话和清嗓子等损害声带的行为。正规的声乐训练除了提高演唱技巧外，还被认为有助于培养良好的嗓音卫生习惯。因此，我们调查了是否有正规训练的大学生歌手比未经训练的大学生歌手更有可能养成良好的嗓音卫生习惯。
我们进行了一项前瞻性队列研究，斯坦福大学的大学生歌手自愿参加了年度嗓音健康诊所。对所有歌手进行全面的喉部检查，并通过问卷获得人口统计学信息、正规声乐训练状况以及嗓音卫生习惯信息。然后，根据歌手接受正规训练的时间长短，将其分为“未训练”（少于 1 年）和“训练”（多于 1 年）两组进行分析。
共纳入 82 名歌手进行分析，其中 49 名（59.8%）接受过 1 年以上的正规训练。与未经训练的歌手相比，接受过正规训练的歌手更倾向于采用古典或歌剧演唱等主要的音乐演唱风格（P < 0.001）。两组在补水习惯（P = 0.20）、咖啡因摄入（P = 0.73）、热身练习（P = 0.08）和损害声带的行为方面无显著差异。两组间的饮酒、吸烟、吸大麻、使用电子烟的情况相似。总体而言，我们样本中有 11%的人报告间歇性每日少于一次吸大麻，其中一名歌手报告每日吸食。样本中没有歌手使用电子烟。这些比率明显低于同龄的美国人群。两组对香烟、大麻、电子烟、酒精和咖啡因的看法也相同，绝大多数歌手认为这些物质对嗓音有害（取决于物质，64%-100%的歌手有此看法）。对任何歌手的喉部检查均未发现喉部病理学改变。
受过训练和未经训练的大学生歌手的嗓音卫生习惯相似。这可能与他们对嗓音寿命的渴望有关，而与之前的训练无关。这可能消除了长期以来的假设，即正规训练是养成良好嗓音习惯所必需的。然而，我们提供的是斯坦福大学的一组非常同质、受过高等教育的大学生歌手，他们的风险行为明显少于同龄的美国普通人群。尽管有大量的声乐需求，但仍没有喉部病理学改变，这也可能反映了良好的嗓音卫生习惯。
