General public’s knowledge and practices on face mask use during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional exploratory survey from Dharan, Nepal

Abstract

Background: Measures to prevent and control coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) include regular handwashing, physical distancing and covering mouth and nose using a face mask, thereby reducing spread of droplets. Use of facemask is considered as a cheap, effective and safe method with minimum disruption in day-to-day life. This study assessed the knowledge and practice of Nepalese general public on face mask use during lockdown period of COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A cross-sectional study using a self-developed, validated questionnaire (Cronbach alpha 0.556) was conducted in Dharan, eastern Nepal during May, 2020. Pharmacists from ten pharmacies, spread throughout Dharan city, after relevant training by the principal investigator, administered and recorded the responses from a selected sample stratified across age, gender, education and place of residence. Completed questionnaires were checked for consistency, coded and entered in IBM SPSS Version 26 and data was tested for normality using one-sample K-S test. Descriptive analyses were performed for demographic parameters and inferential statistics performed for outcome variables calculating median scores among different subgroups which were further compared using appropriate non-parametric tests at alpha=0.05. Results: Altogether 381 individuals, males [211 (55.4%)] and females [170 (44.6%)] participated. Ninety-three (24.5%) respondents were between 20-30 years of age and least number 3(0.8%) were above 70 years; 127 (33.3%) participants were housewives. Maximum 200 (52.5%) participants were educated between classes VIII to XII; seven (1.8%) were having postgraduate education; 129 (33.9%) participants were hill tribes. Knowledge scores were good (median score 16; maximum score 18). Around 20% of participant had never used face mask before the pandemic; majority of population (80%) were aware about the ongoing pandemic. Majority were aware about washing hands (92.6%) before using mask, covering mouth and nose (78.7%), and avoiding touching the mask while wearing (42.3%). Knowledge scores were significantly higher among men (p=0.038), among younger age groups (p=0.010), and among persons with greater education (p=0.048). Conclusion: The knowledge scores were good and public were aware about proper use of face masks. Educational interventions could be targeted to those with lesser knowledge, and steps to promote sustained face mask use can be beneficial.

Mask-wearing behaviour and belief of people during COVID-19 pandemic: An online survey

“…Of them, Q 25 -Q 30 were important to assess their mask-wearing behaviour and among them, 31% adjusted their mask by touching the front portion, 27% remove their mask when they cough/sneeze and 14% speak after removing their mask. This shows their poor behaviour which is similar to a cross-sectional study conducted by Alam et al (2020), where they questioned pharmacists in Nepal, regarding their knowledge about mask use and mask-wearing behaviour. On average, 30% of their respondents had poor behaviour, where 58% touched their mask while wearing and 21% mask users failed to cover their nose, mouth and chin 7 .…”

“…This shows their poor behaviour which is similar to a cross-sectional study conducted by Alam et al (2020), where they questioned pharmacists in Nepal, regarding their knowledge about mask use and mask-wearing behaviour. On average, 30% of their respondents had poor behaviour, where 58% touched their mask while wearing and 21% mask users failed to cover their nose, mouth and chin 7 . Also regarding the hours of use, 22% of respondents in our study used the same mask for more than 4 hours (longer than recommended).…”

Mask Use pattern, Public Perception and Barriers to Effective Mask Usage-A battle far from over

“…In another study, though most of the participants were aware about proper mask wearing (78%) and avoiding touching the mask (42.3%) as important measures for prevention, still only one-fifth (20%) used facemask in public. (18) In our study, commonly cited reasons by the participants for not wearing mask properly or no mask at all, were breathing difficulty, mask being uncomfortable among other reasons. Public needs to be assured that mask usage may cause little discomfort for a short time but its benefits are manifold.…”

Enhancement of Hand Hygiene and Face Mask Use during COVID-19 Pandemic amongK-12 Schools’ Teachers

“…20 The post intervention result comes in agreement with a study conducted in China in year of 2020 which reported that people who watched the health education videos were more likely to wear masks and follow health related behaviors. 21 Regarding barriers to face mask use revealed by our study, the most important barriers were expensive medical masks, uncomfortable in hot and humid environment, leads to difficult communication, the unpleasant appearance of face masks, forgetfulness, feel of embarrassment as it might cause people to criticize me about being in public while ill, leads to headache and/or breathing difficulties. Similar barriers were recorded in a previous study conducted to assess the benefits and burdens of wearing face masks in schools during the current Corona pandemic.…”