Association between environmental dust exposure and self-reported voice quality among health science students: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Environmental dust exposure is common in arid regions and may influence upper airway function. Its relationship with voice quality in young adults remains incompletely understood. Objective To evaluate the association between self-reported dust exposure frequency and voice quality and voice-related symptoms among health science students. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 213 health science students. Dust exposure frequency, voice quality (five-category ordinal scale), and voice-related symptoms were assessed. Associations were examined using chi-square analysis. Binary logistic regression models were used for individual symptoms, and ordinal logistic regression was performed for voice quality. Results Most participants reported good or excellent voice quality (74.2%) (Table 3). A statistically significant association was observed between dust exposure and voice quality distribution (χ2(16) = 40.13, p = 0.0007) (Table 4). However, several expected cell counts were small, and this finding should be interpreted with caution. Logistic regression analyses showed no significant association between dust exposure and throat discomfort (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.71–1.33), hoarseness (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.63–1.24), loss of voice (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.61–1.35), or difficulty projecting voice (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.62–1.44) (Table 7). Ordinal logistic regression showed no significant association with worsening voice quality (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.88–1.58, p = 0.265) (Table 8). Conclusion Dust exposure was associated with differences in the distribution of self-reported voice quality. However, no independent association with voice symptoms or ordinal voice quality severity was observed.