Vocal Health Among Vapers

E-cigarettes or "vapes" have become more frequently used than conventional cigarettes among youth and young adults in the U.S., however the existing research on these products and their impact on health is limited due to its modernity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of various vape products on perceptual and instrumental objective measures of voice compared to a control group of nonsmokers in a sex and age-matched sample. As vapes have rapidly evolved, more substances have become available for consumers, thus a comparison was made to differentiate the effects of two common substances used in these products, specifically nicotine and cannabis. It was hypothesized that similar to a previous study, the effects of vaping on the voice may be milder as opposed to conventional cigarette smoking. The study was designed to include four groups of 10 participants each aged 18-35 including, 1) nicotine vape users, 2) cannabis vape users, 3) conventional cigarette users, and 4) a control group of nonsmokers. A total of 5 nicotine vape users, 5 cannabis vape users, one dual user of both nicotine and cannabis vapes, and 10 nonsmokers each participated in one individual data collection session to measure pulmonary function, perceptual and acoustic analysis of voice, phonatory and respiratory efficiency, and participant-rated quality of life. Cigarette smokers in this age range were unable to be recruited. Statistical analysis of the data revealed significantly higher Voice-Handicap Index-10 scores among the "all vape users" group compared to the nonsmokers, suggesting lower voice-related quality of life for vape users. No significant acoustic analysis, pulmonary function,

phonatory and respiratory efficiency, or auditory-perceptual measures were identified when comparing vape users to their matched controls regardless of substance type. No significant differences were found when assessing possible differences between substance type vaped as well. It was determined that the pulmonary function measure of maximum inspiratory pressure is strongest predictor of group classification. Strong effect sizes suggest that significant measures may be seen when comparing nicotine vaping to cannabis vaping with increased sample sizes. The results of this study highlight the need for future research to continue exploring the effects of vape use along with the difference in substance type vaped on voice quality.