Washington, October 27 Teachers, especially women, face a greater risk of hurting their voices than most of the other professionals, according to a new study.

The research by the National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS) showed that teachers were 32 times more likely to experience voice problems.

Eric Hunter, deputy director of the NCVS, and colleagues examined how teachers use their voices at work and at home and found differences between male and female teachers.

The investigators discovered that female teachers used their voices about 10 percent more than males when teaching and 7 percent more outside of work.

They also speak louder than male teachers at work, the data indicated.

Hunter wrote: "These results may indicate an underlying reason for female teachers' increased voice problems."

The findings are due to be presented at a meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) in San Antonio, TX. (ANI)