Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Biomedical Technology, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
PLoS One. 2021 Feb 19;16(2):e0247313. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247313. eCollection 2021.
Community face masking is possibly of great value in reducing COVID-19 transmission, especially when universally adopted with high compliance. The aim of this study is to investigate the knowledge, common misconceptions, barriers, and the compliance of the community with the use of face masks for the prevention of COVID-19. A validated questionnaire was administered to the participants through a web link by using various social media. The collected data were statistically analyzed for significant differences according to demographic variables. The average knowledge of face masks and their role in preventing COVID-19 transmission was 95.64%, with no differences among most of the demographical factors. Older groups and females demonstrated a better attitude towards wearing face masks than other groups did (p<0.001). Another significant difference in the participant's attitude was noticed between the various educational levels, employment, and nationality (p<0.001). Of the total respondents, 88.2% encouraged wearing face masks. Misconceptions about wearing face masks were very low. The frequency of wearing face masks at public places, workplaces, or social gatherings was 87.2%, 80.5%, and 47.5% respectively. There was a significant variation in the compliance with wearing face masks between the various groups based on age, gender, nationality, and employment status (p<0.001). The inconvenience in wearing face masks was reported by 36.3%. Face irritation and ear pain were reported by 70.2% and 43.5%, respectively. The inconvenience of wearing face masks with eyeglasses was reported by 44.3% of those wearing eyeglasses. In general, the study demonstrated a good attitude among participants towards wearing face masks. Although the respondents in the study were aware of the benefits of wearing face masks, the barriers may have decreased their desire to do so. These barriers include difficulty in breathing, discomfort, face irritation, and ear pain.
社区戴口罩对于减少 COVID-19 的传播可能具有重要意义，尤其是当普遍高度遵守时。本研究旨在调查社区对口罩预防 COVID-19 的知识、常见误解、障碍和使用情况。通过各种社交媒体，通过网络链接向参与者提供了经过验证的问卷。根据人口统计学变量对收集的数据进行了统计分析，以确定显著差异。口罩的平均知识及其在预防 COVID-19 传播中的作用为 95.64%，大多数人口统计学因素之间没有差异。年龄较大的群体和女性比其他群体表现出更好的戴口罩态度（p<0.001）。在参与者的态度方面，还注意到不同教育程度、就业和国籍之间存在显著差异（p<0.001）。在总受访者中，88.2%的人鼓励戴口罩。对面罩的误解很低。在公共场所、工作场所或社交聚会中戴口罩的频率分别为 87.2%、80.5%和 47.5%。根据年龄、性别、国籍和就业状况，不同群体的口罩佩戴合规性存在显著差异（p<0.001）。36.3%的人报告佩戴口罩不方便。70.2%和 43.5%的人分别报告了口罩佩戴引起的皮肤刺激和耳痛。44.3%戴眼镜的人报告了佩戴口罩和眼镜的不便。总的来说，研究表明参与者对面罩佩戴的态度良好。尽管研究中的受访者意识到戴口罩的好处，但这些障碍可能降低了他们的佩戴意愿。这些障碍包括呼吸困难、不适、皮肤刺激和耳痛。
