การศึกษาค่าตัวแปรของเสียงพูดด้านกลศาสตร์ทางเสียงของผู้สูงอายุไทยในจังหวัดเชียงใหม่

Abstract

As individuals age, changes in their voice may occur, leading to voice disorders or dysphonia. These alterations can result from changes in the structure and function of vocal cords. Given the significance of acoustic voice parameters in identifying voice pathology and evaluating the progress of voice therapy, variations across genders and ages are also clearly evident. Prior to this study, no research had investigated acoustic voice parameters in the elderly Thai population. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating the acoustic voice parameters of older individuals in Chiangmai, Thailand, and comparing these parameters between normal and abnormal voice groups within the Thai elderly population. A total of 125 participants with normal voice and 45 participants with abnormal voice were included. Participants were specifically instructed to prolong the vowel /a/ for more than 3 seconds and read a Thai passage in a comfortable pitch and loudness for acoustic voice analysis using Praat software. The analysis was conducted separately for each gender and age group, categorized into three ranges (60-69, 70-79, and above 80 years old). The results were then compared between groups across genders. The findings revealed that in the normal group, the value of acoustic voice parameters in males was fundamental frequency (F0) = 130.73 ± 25.09 Hz, speaking fundamental frequency (SF0) = 126.68 ± 20.27 Hz, jitter local = 0.58 ± 0.37 %, shimmer local = 4.57 ± 2.58 %, harmonic to noise ratio (HNR) = 19.22 ± 3.65 dB, and mean intensity = 58.49 ± 3.63 dB. In females, the corresponding values were F0 = 184.72 ± 24.43 Hz, SF0 = 178.28 ± 18.95 Hz, jitter local = 0.43 ± 0.27 %, shimmer local = 3.60 ± 1.96 %, HNR = 20.69 ± 3.09 dB, and mean intensity = 57.40 ± 2.85 dB. A statistically significant difference was observed in acoustic voice parameters between the normal and abnormal voice groups. In males, significant differences were observed in F0 (mean difference = -27.18, 95% confidence interval = -46.91 to -7.44, P = 0.008), SF0 (mean difference = -40.79, 95% confidence interval = -61.55 to -20.03, P < 0.001), jitter local (median difference = -0.73, 95% confident interval = -1.48 to -0.37, P < 0.001), shimmer local (median difference = -4.01, 95% confident interval = -6.10 to -1.59, P = 0.002), and HNR (mean difference = 5.63, 95% confidence interval = 3.01 to 8.25, P < 0.001). In females, statistically significant differences were found in jitter local (median difference = -0.88, 95% confident interval = -1.74 to -0.35, P < 0.001) and mean intensity (mean difference = 2.10, 95% confidence interval = 0.05 to 4.14, P = 0.045). In summary, the data on acoustic voice parameters from older Thai individuals with normal voices can be applied to the broader population of older Thai individuals in Chiangmai.