Centre Nantais de Sociologie (CENS), Université de Nantes, Nantes, France.
Centre G. Simmel, Ecole de Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Rennes, France.
Front Public Health. 2023 Apr 24;11:1136980. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1136980. eCollection 2023.
Although one of the most prominent interventions against COVID-19, face masks seem poorly adopted by the general population. A growing body of literature has found that using face masks has social meaning. This qualitative study assessed the perceptions, representations and practices of mask wearing in the general population.
A qualitative survey by short semi-structured walking interviews was carried out from April to December 2021 in 11 cities in France's Pays de la Loire region. Study locations were selected for their varied geographical, social, and economic characteristics, with urbanized and rural areas. Four domains linked to perceptions of masks and wearing them were explored: (i) evolution in mask wearing, (ii) decision-making methods for wearing and not wearing; (iii) incorporating the mask into way of life; (iv) projecting into the future.
A total of 116 people were interviewed. Masks marked a shift from the ordinary world to the pandemic. Overall, interviewees considered masks an obstacle to breathing, communication, and social interactions, leading to establishing strategies circumventing the mask mandate. Poor attention was paid to their medical usefulness as an obligatory clothing accessory. Mask-wearing decisions were driven by social relations, common sense, and vulnerability. The greater the feeling of security (i.e., being with close relatives), the less it was worn or worn properly, with decreased attention to others and their health. Most participants did not remember learning to wear a mask. Some were convinced that mask-wearing could not be learned (experiential knowledge). Institutions (school and work) played a central role by facilitating incorporation of masks into daily life.
This study emphasizes the need to reinforce the individual medical values of face masks to prevent COVID-19. Ambitious education and training programmes should be planned to learn how and when to wear masks. Institutions (work and school) may be critical for this purpose.
尽管口罩是对抗 COVID-19 的最主要干预措施之一，但它似乎并未被普通民众广泛采用。越来越多的文献发现，使用口罩具有社会意义。本定性研究评估了普通人群对面部口罩佩戴的认知、看法和实践。
2021 年 4 月至 12 月期间，在法国卢瓦尔河地区的 11 个城市进行了一项定性调查，采用短的半结构化步行访谈。研究地点的选择考虑了其不同的地理、社会和经济特征，包括城市和农村地区。共探讨了与口罩认知和佩戴相关的四个领域：（i）口罩佩戴的演变；（ii）佩戴和不佩戴口罩的决策方法；（iii）将口罩融入生活方式；（iv）对未来的展望。
共对 116 人进行了访谈。口罩标志着从普通世界到疫情世界的转变。总体而言，受访者认为口罩阻碍呼吸、交流和社会互动，因此制定了规避口罩强制令的策略。他们很少关注口罩的医学用途，而将其视为强制性服装配饰。口罩佩戴决策受到社会关系、常识和脆弱性的驱动。当感到安全（例如与亲密的亲属在一起）时，佩戴口罩的频率或佩戴方式就会降低，对他人及其健康的关注也会减少。大多数参与者不记得学习戴口罩。有些人坚信戴口罩是无法学会的（经验知识）。学校和工作等机构在将口罩融入日常生活方面发挥了核心作用。
本研究强调需要加强对面部口罩的个人医学价值的重视，以预防 COVID-19。应规划有雄心的教育和培训计划，以学习如何以及何时佩戴口罩。为此，机构（工作和学校）可能至关重要。
