VOICE CHARACTERISTICS OF SWIMMERS IN INDOOR SWIMMING POOLS

Reuben. T. Varghese; Meenu George; Jesica George

Volume : VIII, Issue : II, February - 2019

VOICE CHARACTERISTICS OF SWIMMERS IN INDOOR SWIMMING POOLS

Reuben. T. Varghese, Meenu George, Jesica George

Abstract :

Swimming is a physical fitness exercise done by individuals by propelling oneself through the waters. Swimming possesses many health benefits. At the same time, due to the exposure to chlorinated water and the byproducts of chlorine they are at risk for developing respiratory problems. This may have an effect on their voice characteristics. This purpose of the study was to check their acoustic characteristics. The study was conducted on thirty swimmers and compared it on age and gender matched normal controls. The phonation of the vowels /a/./i/,/u/ was recorded, fed into CSL 4500 module (Kay Pentax, New Jersey) and further analysis was carried out using the MDVP (Multi Dimensional Voice Program). The fundamental frequency measures, short and long term frequency perturbation measures were compared across both the groups. Significant differences were found in mean fundamental frequency, Jitter %, RAP, PPQ and sPPQ in both the groups. The results suggest there is significant difference in the voice characteristics of normal and the swimmers. These results also suggest the need for counseling, awareness and vocal hygiene measures among swimmers regarding the better care of their voice which will in turn helps in improving their quality of life.