Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Singapore General Hospital, Level 4, Academia, 20 College Road, Singapore 169856, Singapore.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Singapore General Hospital, Level 4, Academia, 20 College Road, Singapore 169856, Singapore.
Infect Dis Health. 2021 May;26(2):145-151. doi: 10.1016/j.idh.2021.01.002. Epub 2021 Feb 18.
Despite increasing evidence to support mask effectiveness in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, there is still raging controversy regarding the use of masks. Evaluation of public perceptions, attitudes and the individuals' experience towards mask-wearing is integral to ensuring reasonable compliance and allows authorities to address concerns held by the population.
A cross-sectional survey of lay-people was conducted within a high volume tertiary level institution in Singapore, from 16 October to 16 November 2020. Surveys administered evaluated five questions: 1) duration of mask wear per day, 2) mask-type used, 3) perceived necessity, 4) discomfort level experienced and 5) causes for discomfort.
Out of 402 respondents, 67.2% primarily wore disposable surgical masks. 72% felt mask-wearing was necessary to control COVID-19 transmission. 78.4% reported discomfort while wearing masks, with mean discomfort levels of 4.21 out of 10. Impairment to breathing and communication difficulties were the most common discomforts faced. Younger respondents complained of higher incidence of dermatological issues and sweating (p < 0.05). Respondents who wore masks for longer duration reported higher incidence of dermatological issues (p = 0.001) and sweating (p = 0.032).
Even with an available vaccine, adjunctive public health measures such as mask-wearing will likely continue in order to curb COVID-19 transmission. Experience from past pandemics is likely to propagate self-protective behavior within a community. Our study identified several common mask-wearing discomforts, allowing respective organizations valuable market feedback for research and development. With appropriate public attitudes, effective mask-wearing compliance can be attained in a concerted effort against the coronavirus.
尽管越来越多的证据支持口罩在减轻 COVID-19 传播方面的有效性，但对于口罩的使用仍存在激烈的争议。评估公众对戴口罩的看法、态度和个人体验对于确保合理的遵守至关重要，并使当局能够解决公众关注的问题。
2020 年 10 月 16 日至 11 月 16 日，在新加坡一家高容量的三级医疗机构对非专业人士进行了横断面调查。问卷调查评估了五个问题：1）每天戴口罩的时间，2）使用的口罩类型，3）感知的必要性，4）佩戴口罩时的不适程度，5）引起不适的原因。
在 402 名受访者中，67.2%的人主要佩戴一次性医用口罩。72%的人认为戴口罩对控制 COVID-19 传播是必要的。78.4%的人报告佩戴口罩时感到不适，平均不适程度为 10 分中的 4.21 分。呼吸和沟通困难是最常见的不适。年轻的受访者抱怨皮肤问题和出汗的发生率更高（p<0.05）。佩戴口罩时间较长的受访者报告皮肤问题（p=0.001）和出汗（p=0.032）的发生率更高。
即使有了可用的疫苗，为了控制 COVID-19 的传播，类似戴口罩等辅助公共卫生措施可能仍会继续。过去大流行的经验可能会在社区内传播自我保护行为。我们的研究确定了几种常见的戴口罩不适，为相关组织的研发提供了有价值的市场反馈。通过适当的公众态度，可以齐心协力地实现有效的口罩佩戴合规性，以对抗冠状病毒。
