Acoustic analysis of the voice of obese morbid before and later surgical treatment for the obesity / Análise acústica da voz de obesos mórbidos pré e pós tratamento cirúrgico para a obesidade

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007

RESUMO

Due to the significant increase of obesity in Brazil and in the world and the risks involving the health of individuals, several types of treatment have been recommended in an attempt to change this scenario. The surgical treatment is believed to be the most suitable for the majority of morbid obesity cases. This type of procedure usually reduces up to 40% of the individual initial weight and in some cases this ratio can be even higher. However, a significant weight loss usually results in several significant bodily changes including the vocal tract. As the voice signal is very complex and comprises a glottal pulse equalized by vocal tract resonance, it seems reasonable to evaluate how voice parameters change with weight reduction. The purpose of this study is to compare perceptive-auditive and acoustics analysis of the voice, before and after the surgical approach to obesity to check if the vocal changes occur after the weight reduction. The results indicate that in weight losses up to 40% the perceptive-auditive and acoustics parameters did not represent statistically relevant alterations, but in weight losses higher than 50%, significant changes were observed in two specific parameters, PA and Ex, including improvement of vocal folds movement and increase of loudness of voice after weight loss. However, the sample of weight loss was insufficient because it was limited to one participant; therefore it should not be generalized.

ASSUNTO(S)

voz emagrecimento trato vocal voice vocal tract obesity acoustics analysis obesidade

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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