VOICE SELF-ASSESSMENT OF PROFESSORS AT SANTA MARIA CITY/RS, BRAZIL Autoavaliação vocal de professores de Santa Maria/RS

Purpose: to associate and to correlate the voice handicap index, quality of life, vocal symptoms, sex, vocal complaints and professional characteristics of professors in Santa Maria city (RS/Brazil). Methods: 114 individuals, aged 20 to 66 years, 102 women and 12 men, professors of elementary school responded to the protocols: Voice Symptom Scale, Voice Handicap Index and Voice-Related Quality of Life, a questionnaire containing data identification, the overall health, occupational and vocal complaints. Results: professors worked on average 6,96 hours a day, there are on average 12,7 years, 72,8% had vocal complaints, 50% belonged to the private school network, 37,7% to the state network and 12,3% to the municipal network. There was an association between voice self-assessment scales and presence of vocal complaints, there was no correlation with age and professional characteristics. Had a higher occurrence of vocal symptoms in women. The Voice Symptom Scale and the Voice Handicap Index showed positive correlation and negative correlation of both protocols in relation to Voice-Related Quality of Life. Conclusion: professors with complaints showed higher occurrence of vocal symptoms, greater voice handicap index and lower quality of life in voice, with a higher occurrence of vocal symptoms in females. There was complementarity between the vocal self-assessment protocols.