Face Mask Usage During COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevalence and Associated Factors in a Malaysian Medical School (original) (raw)
Related papers
Use of Face Masks by Students of the Medical University During COVID-2019 Pandemic
Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Environmental Research and Public Health —Public Health Issues in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic
During a pandemic, it is necessary to pay clos e attention to the measures of non-specific prevention of infection emergence in the population. The objective of a Study was to get understanding of the significance of the recommendations of WHO, and Rospotrebnadzor on the use of face masks and their implementation during a pandemic by medical university students. The questionnaire method was used. 75.4% of the surveyed consider wearing masks an adequate measure to combat COVID-19. At the same time, 94.9% wore a mask during the period of severe restrictions from March to June 2020, observing the security measures adopted in the country. During the period of easing restrictions from June to September, this percentage dropped to 69.7, and in the period when students started full-time studies at the university (from September to October), it reached 99%. 100% wear a mask within the walls of the university. Most of the respondents believe that disposable fabric masks are ineffective for protection against bacteria and viruses, but wearing them is justified in terms of protecting against the ingress of saliva and mucus particles into the body of the wearer and into the environment. 83.7% believe that wearing masks during a pandemic is necessary for the entire population. 2/3 of students are aware of the rules for using masks. The main reasons for refusing to use masks are difficulty in breathing and vision. Disposable medical masks were the most popular type of masks. Skin reactions to wearing masks were noted by 65% of the students. The most common side effects were redness, dryness, and itching of the skin, as well as the appearance of rashes. Conclusions: medical students believe that wearing face masks during a pandemic is an adequate response to COVID-19 and have the knowledge to carefully select and use personal protective equipment. Most of the respondents have a civic responsibility, understand the value of masks, and can actively promote their use among the population.
The Challenges of Mask Wearing Among USIM Medical Students during the Pandemic of COVID-19
2021
Wearing a face mask has become mandatory when going out in public. Besides hand washing and physical distancing, wearing a face mask is a preventive measure used to curb the spread of COVID19. However, many people do not comply with the rules and have difficulties in wearing masks. This study aims to evaluate current knowledge on the importance of face masks and identify factors contributing to discomfort in wearing face masks. Using a Google form survey, the study was conducted among 155 medical students of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). Data revealed 99.4% of the participants agreed on the importance of wearing masks and 92.35% respondents mentioned compliance in wearing masks. However, only 63.9% reported feeling comfortable while wearing a surgical mask. Certain factors were found to contribute to the discomfort of wearing face masks, such as feeling hot (77.4%), excessive sweating (76.1%), hard to breathe (67.7%) and trapping of odours (67.1%). Most of the respondents ...
2021
During a pandemic, it is necessary to pay clos e attention to the measures of non-specific prevention of infection emergence in the population. The objective of a Study was to get understanding of the significance of the recommendations of WHO, and Rospotrebnadzor on the use of face masks and their implementation during a pandemic by medical university students. The questionnaire method was used. 75.4% of the surveyed consider wearing masks an adequate measure to combat COVID-19. At the same time, 94.9% wore a mask during the period of severe restrictions from March to June 2020, observing the security measures adopted in the country. During the period of easing restrictions from June to September, this percentage dropped to 69.7, and in the period when students started full-time studies at the university (from September to October), it reached 99%. 100% wear a mask within the walls of the university. Most of the respondents believe that disposable fabric masks are ineffective for p...
Sustainability
At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the estimated daily use of face masks was at its highest, thereby creating huge public health and environmental challenges associated with the indiscriminate disposal of used ones. The present study assessed Abu Dhabi University students’ handling and disposal of single-use face masks during the pandemic. A cross-sectional study using an online survey questionnaire was used to gather data from 255 students from the target group. Face mask type was found to be significantly influenced by both the student’s gender and age, while the participant’s habit of hand washing after handling a used face mask was found to be significantly influenced by the student’s age. The student’s educational level significantly influenced group decisions regarding the most appropriate face mask to use, as well as environmental and health consequences awareness of indiscriminate face mask disposal. While the students are adequately aware of COVID-19’s impact and had goo...
Public Practice Towards Usage of Face Mask During Pandemic COVID-19 -A Cross Sectional Study
2021
Background: The pandemic caused by novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has become a new public health problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of Corona Virus Diseases (COVID 19) as a global public health emergency. At War foot many strategies are being tried to mitigate the disease. Aims and Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the usage and disposal of mouth masks among general public during this pandemic COVID-19. Materials and Methods: A total of 516 participants from the Maharashtra (India) region completed a questionnaire-based survey on different face covering practice and disposal methods, during the pandemic COVID -19. The self administered questionnaire distributed. Random sampling method was used for the collection of data, and the distribution of responses was presented as percentages. Explanatory statistics were performed for all groups based on the percentage of correct responses. Results: A total of 516 participated in the survey, amo...
Archives of Community and Family Medicine
Introduction: COVID-19 has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020. Objective: To find out the Knowledge and self-reported practice of face mask utilization among outdoor patients during the covid-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive type of study was undertaken to assess the state of knowledge and self-reported Practice of face mask utilization among the patient attending the outpatient department at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, from January 2020 to December 2020. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed in English and then translated into Bengali. A total of 224 respondents were interviewed with age range from 18 to 6o years. The participants were selected by using a convenient sampling technique. SPSS 25 version was used for data analysis. Results: In this study, 33% of respondents belonged to the age group of 18 to 30 years and the majority of respondents (61.20%) were female. It was found that 32.6% of respondents completed a secondary level of education, 29% completed a higher secondary level, whereas 8% has no formal education. The majority (62.10%) of the respondents was from the urban area and 37.90% were from the rural area. According to this study, 63.4% of respondents had good knowledge and only 20.5% of respondents had a good practice in face mask utilization. The mean score of knowledge was found 9.86 out of 12 where the Standard deviation was ±2.35. A statistically highly significant (p<0.05) association was found between the educational level of the respondents and respondents' knowledge of face mask utilization. Another association was found between the level of knowledge and level of practice on face mask utilization, which was also statistically significant (p<0.05) that is knowledgeable people had opined on practice for better protection from infectious diseases like COVID-19. Conclusion: In the current study practice of people wasn't found up to the mark compared with knowledge regarding face masks.
Journal of Community Health, 2021
Although Vietnam has been successful in the fight against the first wave of COVID-19, domestic outbreaks have continued to occur. Given university students constitute a significant proportion of the population in Vietnam, to improve the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Vietnam and comparable countries, we examined their knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) towards face mask use which is an important preventive measure and the association between the levels of COVID-19 knowledge and KAP towards face mask use. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on all students studying at Phenikaa University, Hanoi, using a self-developed questionnaire consisted of 42 questions regarding KAP towards face mask use as well as reuse of cloth mask, and COVID-19 knowledge. Among 728 participants, 40.9% (298/728) were male, 63.2% (460/728) were from health-related faculties, 46% (335/728) lived in urban areas, and 51.9% (378) had good levels of COVID-19 knowledge. Regarding face mask, most (89.7%, 653/728) participants had good knowledge scores, 72.8% (530/728) had positive attitudes, and 76.5% (557/728) had good practice scores. The most common types of masks used were surgical mask (57.6%, 419/728), followed by non-antibacterial cloth mask (23.1%, 168/728). Among 168 participants using non-antibacterial cloth mask, 43.5% reused masks (73/168), of whom 6.8% (5/73) did not wash their masks at least daily. Face mask use knowledge was statistically associated with COVID-19 knowledge (P < 0.001). Face mask use attitudes were statistically associated with education levels (P = 0.02), and COVID-19 knowledge (P < 0.001). Practice of face mask use was statistically associated with gender (P = 0.03), geographical distribution (P = 0.04), academic majors (P = 0.02), and COVID-19 knowledge (P = 0.01). The levels of KAP towards face mask use among Vietnamese university students are high. It is important to continue to enforce the mass masking policy, together with the ongoing community education with an emphasis on the route of COVID-19 transmission and how correct face mask use can stop the spread. To ensure the effectiveness of face masks, there is an urgent need to educate the community regarding the procedures for cloth masks re-use.
International Journal of Progressive Research in Science and Engineering, 2021
Wearing Face Masks in public has been a mandatory protocol during the COVID-19 Pandemic. As with the medical practitioners like Medical Technologists and Nurses, an additional burden in contacting the virus would mean extra measures to consider. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will weigh an utmost barrier in protecting oneself from the pathogens and wearing it for a longer period of time entail problems. This study aims to identify and describe the practices and problems associated with the mandatory wearing of face masks among Medical Technologists and Nurses. The researchers used a descriptive-quantitative approach through an online survey by using a standardized research tool and a purposive sampling technique was applied. Collected data were statistically treated and analyzed using percentage, mean, and standard deviation. A total population of 230 respondents, comprising of 111 Medical Technologists and 119 Nurses. In determining the respondents' compliance with the mandatory wearing of face masks, it was found out that 93% practiced proper disposal of used face masks whereas the physiological complication is acne (67%) and 80% of the respondents said to have communication difficulties which is considered to be a psychological complication. There is a significant difference in the wearing of face mask practices between Medical Technologists and Nurses. Acne and communication difficulties are the physiological and psychological complications experienced by the two health professionals.
Behavior in the use of face masks in the context of COVID‐19
Public Health Nursing, 2021
With a current global infection rate of 126,697,603 cases and 2,776,175 deaths to date, COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide challenge at systemic and individual level (World Health Organization, 2021a). In Austria, approximately 530,844 people have been tested positive for COVID 19 and 8,995 deaths with COVID-19 diagnosis have been recorded (World Health Organization, 2021b).
Pakistan Journal of Public Health
Background: To determine the frequency of general public compliant to face mask and also to evaluate knowledge and practice of using face mask in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) and National Institute of Health (NIH) guidelines in our community. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted. A sample of 190 people was recruited from public areas in Islamabad during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted over a period of two months between November and December 2020. Knowledge and etiquettes of face mask use were evaluated with the help of a self-developed questionnaire based on WHO and NIH guidelines. Statistical tests were applied to understand the association of knowledge with etiquettes and also to see the effects of demographic variables on them. Results: This study revealed that one fourth of the sample population was not wearing face masks in public. More than half were not concerned about COVID-19 pandemic and only one third knew about the ...