Validation of the acoustic voice quality index 03.01fin (AVQI) in Finnish speaking population

The Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) is an objective tool based on six acoustic parameters. It uses sustained vowel and continuous speech in the analyses and therefore it must be validated in different languages. In this study, the newest version of AVQI (03.01) with an extended continuous speech sample and improved internal consistency was validated to Finnish-speaking population. The study included 197 native Finnish-speaking voluntary participants, out of which 111 were patients from a phoniatric clinic and 86 were healthy voice users. A sustained vowel and a reading sample were recorded. Mean number of the syllables comparable to the 3 second sustained vowel was calculated from the reading samples. Sixteen voice specialists evaluated the overall voice quality of the voice samples with a four-point scale. Statistic analyses were performed to test the diagnostic accuracy between healthy and disordered voices in Finnish-speaking population. The number of syllables, comparable to 3 seconds of sustained vowel, was 31. The correlation between the AVQI scores and the overall voice quality was strong (Spearman’s rho 0.77, p= 0.01). The AVQI score 1.83 was the best to distinguish healthy and dysphonic voices. The study confirmed the AVQI03.01FIN version to be a good tool in voice disorder diagnostics in Finnish speaking population.Peer reviewe