Methods

Author

Sarah Morris

Published

February 19, 2025

1 Methods

1.1 Participants and Recruitment

This study employed a cross-sectional survey design to investigate respiratory muscle training (RMT) behaviors among wind instrumentalists. Participants included adult wind instrumentalists (aged ≥18 years) with any level of playing experience who were proficient in English. A convenience sample was recruited through two primary avenues: (1) direct contact with wind instrument professionals and teachers from conservatories and orchestras worldwide using publicly available contact information, and (2) distribution of the survey link via social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) through investigator accounts. Additionally, snowball sampling was encouraged, with participants invited to share the survey link with other eligible wind instrumentalists in their networks.

To expand reach, relevant music forums and groups were identified, and permission was sought from administrators to post recruitment materials. Professional music institutions were also approached to distribute the survey within their networks. All individuals contacted directly received no more than two communications to avoid unnecessary solicitation. Email messages were distributed using blind carbon copies (BCC) to protect recipient anonymity.

The initial recruitment target was 200 participants, with plans to monitor effect sizes on primary outcomes during early recruitment to inform subsequent power calculations and potential sample size adjustments.

1.2 Survey Development and Administration

The survey was developed to assess wind instrumentalists’ attitudes, behaviors, and experiences related to respiratory muscle training. The questionnaire collected data on demographic characteristics, current RMT practices, attitudes toward RMT, and experiences of breathlessness while playing. The survey was designed to take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

The survey was hosted on the Qualtrics platform via The University of Sydney site license. Participants accessed the survey through a public link provided in recruitment materials. Upon accessing the survey, participants were presented with a Participant Information Statement explaining the study purpose, procedures, confidentiality measures, and their rights as participants. Informed consent was obtained electronically, with participants indicating consent by selecting “Begin survey” on the landing page.

As an incentive for participation, respondents who completed the survey could enter a random drawing to win one of ten Amazon gift vouchers valued at $100 AUD each. Email addresses collected for the prize drawing were stored separately from survey responses to maintain anonymity.

1.3 Ethical Considerations

The study protocol received approval from The University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC approval number: 2022/HE000626). Participation was voluntary, and participants could withdraw from the study at any time prior to survey submission. Once submitted, responses could not be withdrawn due to their anonymous nature. No personally identifiable information was collected as part of the core survey data.

Participants were informed that research findings might be published but that they would not be individually identifiable in any publications. All data were stored securely on the university’s secure servers and will be retained for five years before deletion. Participants could request a summary of study findings by providing their email address in the final question of the survey, with these addresses stored separately from response data.

1.4 Data Analysis

Descriptive statistics were calculated for all survey variables. For categorical data (nominal, dichotomous, or ordinal), frequencies, proportions, and percentages were calculated. Continuous variables were reported as means ± standard deviations, or medians and interquartile ranges for non-normally distributed data.

Relationships between variables were explored using appropriate statistical tests. Chi-square tests of independence were used to examine associations between categorical variables, such as RMT usage and demographic characteristics. Where cell counts were insufficient for chi-square analysis, Fisher’s exact tests were employed. For ordinal data, non-parametric tests such as Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare groups. Effect sizes were calculated using Cramer’s V for chi-square analyses and Cohen’s d for continuous variables.

For multivariate analyses, logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with RMT adoption, while ordinal regression was employed for analyses involving ordinal outcome variables such as perceived effectiveness ratings. All analyses were conducted using [statistical software], with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Where multiple comparisons were conducted, appropriate corrections (e.g., Bonferroni) were applied to control for Type I error.

--- title: "Methods" author: "Sarah Morris" date: "2025-02-19" format: html: toc: true toc-depth: 2 toc-title: "Table of Contents" toc-location: right number-sections: true theme: cosmo code-fold: true code-tools: true highlight-style: github execute: echo: true warning: false error: false --- # Methods ## Participants and Recruitment This study employed a cross-sectional survey design to investigate respiratory muscle training (RMT) behaviors among wind instrumentalists. Participants included adult wind instrumentalists (aged ≥18 years) with any level of playing experience who were proficient in English. A convenience sample was recruited through two primary avenues: (1) direct contact with wind instrument professionals and teachers from conservatories and orchestras worldwide using publicly available contact information, and (2) distribution of the survey link via social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) through investigator accounts. Additionally, snowball sampling was encouraged, with participants invited to share the survey link with other eligible wind instrumentalists in their networks. To expand reach, relevant music forums and groups were identified, and permission was sought from administrators to post recruitment materials. Professional music institutions were also approached to distribute the survey within their networks. All individuals contacted directly received no more than two communications to avoid unnecessary solicitation. Email messages were distributed using blind carbon copies (BCC) to protect recipient anonymity. The initial recruitment target was 200 participants, with plans to monitor effect sizes on primary outcomes during early recruitment to inform subsequent power calculations and potential sample size adjustments. ## Survey Development and Administration The survey was developed to assess wind instrumentalists' attitudes, behaviors, and experiences related to respiratory muscle training. The questionnaire collected data on demographic characteristics, current RMT practices, attitudes toward RMT, and experiences of breathlessness while playing. The survey was designed to take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. The survey was hosted on the Qualtrics platform via The University of Sydney site license. Participants accessed the survey through a public link provided in recruitment materials. Upon accessing the survey, participants were presented with a Participant Information Statement explaining the study purpose, procedures, confidentiality measures, and their rights as participants. Informed consent was obtained electronically, with participants indicating consent by selecting "Begin survey" on the landing page. As an incentive for participation, respondents who completed the survey could enter a random drawing to win one of ten Amazon gift vouchers valued at \$100 AUD each. Email addresses collected for the prize drawing were stored separately from survey responses to maintain anonymity. ## Ethical Considerations The study protocol received approval from The University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC approval number: 2022/HE000626). Participation was voluntary, and participants could withdraw from the study at any time prior to survey submission. Once submitted, responses could not be withdrawn due to their anonymous nature. No personally identifiable information was collected as part of the core survey data. Participants were informed that research findings might be published but that they would not be individually identifiable in any publications. All data were stored securely on the university's secure servers and will be retained for five years before deletion. Participants could request a summary of study findings by providing their email address in the final question of the survey, with these addresses stored separately from response data. ## Data Analysis Descriptive statistics were calculated for all survey variables. For categorical data (nominal, dichotomous, or ordinal), frequencies, proportions, and percentages were calculated. Continuous variables were reported as means ± standard deviations, or medians and interquartile ranges for non-normally distributed data. Relationships between variables were explored using appropriate statistical tests. Chi-square tests of independence were used to examine associations between categorical variables, such as RMT usage and demographic characteristics. Where cell counts were insufficient for chi-square analysis, Fisher's exact tests were employed. For ordinal data, non-parametric tests such as Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare groups. Effect sizes were calculated using Cramer's V for chi-square analyses and Cohen's d for continuous variables. For multivariate analyses, logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with RMT adoption, while ordinal regression was employed for analyses involving ordinal outcome variables such as perceived effectiveness ratings. All analyses were conducted using \[statistical software\], with statistical significance set at p \< 0.05. Where multiple comparisons were conducted, appropriate corrections (e.g., Bonferroni) were applied to control for Type I error.