Alema Nelson Onira, Okot Christopher, Olal Emmanuel, Ikoona Eric Nzirakaindi, Oyat Freddy Wathum Drinkwater, Baguma Steven, Ochula Denish Omoya, Olwedo Patrick Odong, Oloya Johnson Nyeko, Pebolo Francis Pebalo, Atim Pamela Okot, Okot Godfrey Smart, Nantale Ritah, Aloyo Judith, Kitara David Lagoro
Gulu University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Gulu City, Uganda.
Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, Gulu City, Uganda.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025 Feb 7;5(2):e0002569. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002569. eCollection 2025.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) documented wearing facemasks in public as one of the most important prevention measures to limit COVID-19 spread. Considering this, WHO and the US CDC developed guidelines for wearing facemasks in public. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of facemask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic in northern Uganda. We conducted a cross-sectional study on 587 adults across nine districts in northern Uganda, across 24 high-volume health facilities offering free COVID-9 vaccines. Respondents were selected from the health facilities using a single-stage systematic sampling method. Data was collected in a face-to-face questionnaire interview with an internal validity of Cronbach's α = 0.72 and entered into Excel. A local Institutional Research Board (IRB) approved the study, and Stata 18 was used for data analysis using Modified Poisson Regression to generate prevalence ratios (PR) and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR), with a p-value set at < 0.05. The reported prevalence of facemask wearing in public among respondents was high [88.7%,95%CI:86%,-91%]. A multivariate analysis found that obese respondents and those who were receptive (agreed) to the lockdown measures were respectively,1.12 times more likely to wear facemasks [aPR = 1.12,95%CI:1.04-1.19;p < 0.01], and1.23 times more likely to wear facemasks [aPR = 1.23, 95%CI:1.07-1.41;p < 0.01]. The most significant finding from this study was the high prevalence of self-reported facemask wearing among adult community members in northern Uganda. The correlates of wearing facemasks were, being obese and agreeing with the presidential directives on the lockdown measures. Although this prevalence is within acceptable rates, the strict enforcement of the practice by security forces has raised concerns among many community members and human rights advocates. We recommend more studies on communities' perspectives on the challenges and benefits of facemask-wearing after the COVID-19 pandemic.
世界卫生组织（WHO）和美国疾病控制与预防中心（US CDC）将在公共场合佩戴口罩记录为限制新冠病毒传播的最重要预防措施之一。考虑到这一点，WHO和US CDC制定了在公共场合佩戴口罩的指南。本研究旨在确定乌干达北部新冠疫情期间佩戴口罩的流行率及其相关因素。我们对乌干达北部九个地区的587名成年人进行了一项横断面研究，这些地区分布在24家提供免费新冠疫苗的高流量卫生设施中。采用单阶段系统抽样方法从这些卫生设施中选取受访者。通过面对面问卷调查收集数据，内部效度Cronbach's α = 0.72，并录入Excel。当地的机构研究委员会（IRB）批准了该研究，使用Stata 18进行数据分析，采用修正泊松回归生成患病率比（PR）和调整患病率比（aPR），p值设定为<0.05。报告显示，受访者中在公共场合佩戴口罩的流行率很高[88.7%，95%CI：86%，-91%]。多变量分析发现，肥胖受访者以及接受（同意）封锁措施的人佩戴口罩的可能性分别高出1.12倍[aPR = 1.12，95%CI：1.04 - 1.19；p < 0.01]和1.23倍[aPR = 1.23，95%CI：1.07 - 1.41；p < 0.01]。本研究最显著的发现是乌干达北部成年社区成员中自我报告的佩戴口罩流行率很高。佩戴口罩的相关因素是肥胖以及同意总统关于封锁措施的指令。尽管这一流行率在可接受范围内，但安全部队对该做法的严格执行引起了许多社区成员和人权倡导者的关注。我们建议针对新冠疫情后社区对佩戴口罩的挑战和益处的看法开展更多研究。
