Effects of vocal hygiene education program delivered via videoconference on acoustic and self-reported voice outcomes in Muslim religious officials in Turkiye

Abstract

This study examined the effects of a vocal hygiene education program delivered via videoconference on voice quality and self-perceived vocal outcomes among Muslim religious officials in Turkiye. The participants were 26 imams, aged between 28 and 51 years. All participants completed a seven-week study procedure, consisting of two structured videoconference-based vocal hygiene sessions and a four-week vocal hygiene implementation period. Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL), Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10), Acoustic Voice Quality Index Version 2.06 (AVQIv2), jitter, shimmer, and harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR) were assessed before and after the program. V-RQOL scores increased from 82.60 ± 19.91 to 89.23 ± 11.61 (p = 0.006). VHI-10 scores declined from 9.58 ± 5.24 to 5.96 ± 4.43 (p < 0.001), and AVQIv2 scores decreased from 3.12 ± 0.85 to 2.35 ± 0.61 (p < 0.001). Jitter, shimmer, and HNR values showed improvement but did not reach statistical significance. These findings suggest that vocal hygiene education delivered via videoconference was associated with favorable changes in self-reported outcomes and AVQIv2 scores, among Muslim religious officials.