The Study of Speech Acoustic Characteristics of Elderly Individuals with Presbyphagia in Ningbo, China

The feasibility of using acoustic parameters to predict presbyphagia has been preliminarily confirmed. Considering that age and gender can influence the results of acoustic parameters, this study aimed to further explore the specific effects of age and gender on acoustic parameter analysis of the elderly population over 60 years old with presbyphagia. A total of 45 participants were enrolled and divided into three groups (60-69 years old, 70-79 years old, and 80-89 years old). Acoustic parameters, including maximum phonation time, first to third formant frequencies (F1-F3) of /a/, /i/, and /u/, oral diadochokinesis, the acoustic vowel space, and laryngeal diadochokinesis (LDDK), were extracted and calculated. Two-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the correlations between acoustic parameters and age and gender. The result indicates that /hʌ/ LDDK rate had significant differences in age groups, presenting the 80-89 age group being significantly slower than the 60-69 age group. F1/a/, F2/a/, F2/i/, F3/i/, and F2i/F2u differed systematically between genders, with males being lower and smaller than females. Changes that were consistent with /hʌ/ LDDK regularity, confirmed by greater regularity in females. No significant differences were observed for other acoustic parameters. No significant interactions were revealed. According to the preliminary data, we hypothesized that respiratory capacity and control during vocal fold abduction weaken with aging. This highlights the importance of continuously monitoring the respiratory impact on swallowing function in elderly individuals. Additionally, gender influenced several acoustic parameters, indicating the necessity to differentiate between genders when assessing presbyphagia using acoustic parameters, especially focusing on swallowing function in elderly males in Ningbo.