A Comparative Study of the VHI-10 and the V-RQOL for Quality of Life Among Chinese Teachers With and Without Voice Disorders

Objectives: To investigate the differences and correlation between the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) and the Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL) in teachers in China with and without voice disorders.

Study design: This is a cross-sectional descriptive analytical study.

Methods: The participants were 864 teachers (569 women, 295 men) whose vocal cords were examined using a flexible nasofibrolaryngoscope. Questionnaire results were obtained for both the VHI-10 and the V-RQOL.

Results: Of the 864 participants, 409 teachers had no voice disorders and 455 teachers had voice disorders. The most common voice complaint was hoarseness (n = 298) and the most common throat complaint was globus pharyngis (n = 79) in teachers with voice disorders. Chronic laryngitis (n = 218) and polyps and nodules (n = 182) were the most frequent diagnoses in teachers with voice disorders. Significant differences were seen on the VHI-10 between teachers with and those without voice disorders (P < 0.05) and in function between female and male teachers with voice disorders (P < 0.05) and between those with different voice disorders (P < 0.05). Moderate to strong correlations were observed between VHI-10 total score and those for the three domains of the VHI-10 and the V-RQOL (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of voice disorders in teachers. Teachers with voice disorders have poor voice-related quality of life, with more impairment seen among female than male teachers. Different groups of voice disorders have different effects on voice-related quality of life. A moderate correlation was found between the results of the VHI-10 and the V-RQOL.