Evaluation of voice-related quality of life and factorsaffecting voi̇ce in the elderly

Changes in the voice (hoarseness, high-pitched voice, difficulty in speaking) are observed with the effects of physiological, psychological, and environmental factors due to aging. This study aimed to evaluate voice-related quality of life and factors affecting voice in the elderly. The study is an analytical type study. The study population consisted of all elderly people over 60 years of age who applied to Kastamonu Training and Research Hospital outpatient clinics and inpatient services. The study sample consisted of 300 elderly people who met the inclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria were not having any medical neurologic or psychological disorder, not having any medical disease or surgical procedure that may cause voice disorder, and agreeing to participate in the study. Data were collected with sociodemographic form, Voice Evaluation Form, Voice Hygiene Form, Voice Handicap Index, Voice Related Quality of Life Index, and Reflux Symptom Index forms. For the study, ethics committee permission was obtained from Çankırı Karatekin University Ethics Commission with a description of 25-10-2022 and number 3, and from Kastamonu Training and Research Hospital Ethics Committee with decision number 00178767492. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software. 52.7% of the participants were male, 79.3% were married and 51% had primary education. The mean age was 70.00±7.258 years, the number of children was 3.01±1.725, the mean height was 165.23±8.366 and the mean weight was 76.87±13.101. Among the elderly, 41.7% had reflux complaints and 23.3% complained of hoarseness in their daily lives. There was a strong positive correlation between the participants' voice handicap score and voice-related quality of life index (V-RQOL) score (r:0.510: p<0.001) and a strong positive correlation with Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) (r:411: p<0.001). There is a strong positive correlation (r:626: p<0.001) between the voice-related quality of life index (V-RQOL) score and the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) score. The V_RQOL and voice handicap total scores of the participants with a reflux symptom index of 13 points and above were statistically significantly higher than those with a reflux symptom index of 12 points and below (p<0.05). In conclusion, voice quality and voice quality-related quality of life of the elderly decrease with age.