Rowan University, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, USA.
J Osteopath Med. 2022 Jul 14;122(11):545-552. doi: 10.1515/jom-2022-0045. eCollection 2022 Nov 1.
Masks have long been utilized to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens and diseases in the healthcare setting. Recently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mask use has been expanded to all public areas to help slow the spread of this virus. One such location where masks can be seen is gyms. While exercising, the needs of the body are altered due to the increased stress being placed upon it. Normal physiology is thus adjusted to meet these new demands and to maintain optimal functioning. Therefore, it is possible that adding a mask covering the mouth and nose while exercising could further exacerbate this physiologic alteration, causing potential concerns.
The goal of this study is to identify the impact of mask use on normal perceived physiology (breathing, heart rate, temperature, exertion, stamina, and quality of workout) within the exercising population.
To obtain data focused on the research question, a self-reporting, online, anonymous Qualtrics survey was administered in local gyms and social media outlets. A total of 280 total participants were recruited between the ages of 18 and 65 who have ever exercised while wearing a mask. All results were analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. A Cronbach's alpha was also calculated to check internal validity. The significance level utilized was p≤0.05.
Completion of a Kruskal-Wallis test revealed statistical significance regarding the perception of masks in general and the participants' rating of the perceived physiological parameters (breathing: p<0.001; heart rate: p<0.001; temperature: p<0.001; exertion: p<0.001; stamina: p<0.001; and quality of workout: p<0.001), the duration of time the mask was utilized during the workout, and the participants' rating of the perceived physiological parameters (breathing: p=0.001; heart rate: p=0.020; temperature: p<0.001; exertion: p<0.001; stamina: p=0.001; quality of workout: p<0.001; and perception of mask: p<0.001), and the change in the number of days that the participants exercised per week during the pandemic as well as some of the participants' ratings of the perceived physiological parameters (breathing: p=0.042; exertion: p=0.015; stamina: p=0.027; and quality of workout: p=0.016).
Any alterations to normal physiology perception while exercising with a mask appear to be psychological and adaptive in nature. Masks alone did not contribute to the perception of their physiologic changes.
口罩长期以来一直被用于防止医疗环境中的空气传播病原体和疾病的传播。最近，由于 COVID-19 大流行，口罩已在所有公共场所使用，以帮助减缓这种病毒的传播。在健身房可以看到口罩的一个地方。在运动时，由于身体承受的压力增加，身体的需求会发生变化。正常的生理机能因此进行调整以满足这些新的需求并保持最佳功能。因此，在运动时戴口罩可能会进一步加剧这种生理变化，这可能会引起一些问题。
本研究的目的是确定在运动人群中使用口罩对正常感知生理（呼吸、心率、体温、用力程度、耐力和锻炼质量）的影响。
为了获得针对研究问题的数据，在当地健身房和社交媒体上进行了自我报告、在线、匿名的 Qualtrics 调查。共招募了 280 名年龄在 18 至 65 岁之间的参与者，他们在运动时都曾戴过口罩。所有结果均采用描述性统计、双变量相关性、Mann-Whitney U 检验和 Kruskal-Wallis 检验进行分析。还计算了克朗巴赫的 alpha 值以检查内部有效性。使用的显著性水平为 p≤0.05。
Kruskal-Wallis 检验的完成表明，口罩的一般感知以及参与者对感知生理参数（呼吸：p<0.001；心率：p<0.001；体温：p<0.001；用力程度：p<0.001；耐力：p<0.001；锻炼质量：p<0.001）的评分存在统计学意义，口罩使用时间以及参与者对感知生理参数（呼吸：p=0.001；心率：p=0.020；体温：p<0.001；用力程度：p<0.001；耐力：p=0.001；锻炼质量：p<0.001；口罩感知：p<0.001）的评分存在统计学意义，以及参与者在大流行期间每周锻炼的天数变化以及一些参与者对感知生理参数（呼吸：p=0.042；用力程度：p=0.015；耐力：p=0.027；锻炼质量：p=0.016）的评分存在统计学意义。
运动时戴口罩对正常感知生理的任何改变似乎都是心理和适应性的。口罩本身并没有导致对生理变化的感知。
