Capacidade vital e tempos máximos de fonação de /e/ áfono e /s/ em mulheres adultas

Abstract

The sustaining of the phonation involves the respiratory and phonatory levels, hence, the duration of the maximum phonation times (MPT) may be affected by the vital capacity (VC) values, since it depends on lung volume to support the maximum phonation. The MPT investigation of voiceless sounds as /s/ and the voiceless /e/ (/ė/) dispense the glottal source activity and shows evidences of the ability of expiratory control in phonation, providing data from the phonatory dynamics of the individual. Objective: to verify the values of VC, height, MPT/ė/ and MPT/s/ in adult women, and relate the values of these measures. Materials and methods: 48 females, between 18 and 44 years, with no intervening factors in measures of interest (smoking, singing, frequent practice of sports, voice disorder ranging in level from moderate to extreme, articulatory disorder in the target phonemes, or auditory, neurological, psychiatric, cognitive and/or lung disorders) had theirs measured of VC, MPT/ė/ e MPT/s/ collected three times each, and the highest values produced for each variable were selected for analysis, such as self-reported height. The Shapiro-Wilk test of normality was applied to the variables VC, height, MPT/ė/ and MPT/s/; and it was calculated the coefficient of variation to compare the homogeneity of the MPT; the level of signification adopted was of 5 %. All four variables were compared between through the Spearman s correlation coefficient; to compare the MPT/s/ and MPT/ė/ was used the Wilcoxon test for related samples. Results: Mean values of 3.206ml of VC, 1.65cm of height and 17.49s of MPT/s/, which ones presented normal distribution. MPT/ė/ despite did not show normal distribution, had values of mean and median quite close (10.43s and 10.25s), besides a variation coefficient very similar to that of the MPT/s/ variable to its homogeneity analysis: 35.60% (MPT/s/) and 39.11% (MPT/ė/). There was also a positive significant correlation between: VC and MPT/s/ (r=0.326; P=0.024); VC and MPT/ė/ (r=0.379; P=0.008); MPT /s/ and /ė/ (r=0.360; P=0.012); and VC and height (r=0,432; P=0,002); not presenting significant correlation between height and MPT. It was verified that MPT/s/ was significantly higher than MPT/ė/ and that MPT/ė/ of the sample (10.25s) was significantly lower than reference values (P<0.001). Conclusion: The group of women ranging in age from 18 to 44 years presented average values of VC and of MPT/s/ consistent to literature and indicating reference values; and MPT/ė/ significantly lower than purposed by literature. There was positive significant correlation between: VC and the MPT/s/; VC and MPT/ė/; MPT/s/ and MPT/ė/; and VC and height. However there was no correlation between height and MPT. Values of MPT/ė/ were significantly lower than MPT/s/, due to the absence of articulatory control, allowing an accurate assessment of the respiratory level control.