Study on Factors of People's Wearing Masks Based on Two Online Surveys: Cross-Sectional Evidence from China

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Mar 26;18(7):3447. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18073447.

Abstract

(1) Background: To analyze factors of people's wearing masks based on two online surveys, and to explore whether living area factor or quarantine status could have an impact on mask-wearing. (2) Methods: Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to explore the influence of different factors on people's behavior of mask-wearing in the present study. R3.6.2 was used for data cleaning, SPSS 26.0 was used to conduct corresponding statistical analysis, and a two-sided p-value less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. (3) Results: According to our study, the proportion of participants who wore face masks was higher than 90.0% in both surveys. Single factor analysis showed that the proportion of people wearing face masks raised with the increase of people's education, age, and monthly income (Yuan) in both surveys. People who lived in rural areas were less likely to wear masks. Mask-wearing rate was lower in the isolated individuals than in the non-isolated ones. (4) Conclusions: Masks-wearing is one of the effective measures for COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control. After the Chinese government made wearing face masks mandatory in public places, most residents in China had developed the habit of wearing masks, contributing to the high rate of masks-wearing in China. However, people in rural areas need to raise their awareness of wearing masks. Meanwhile, the mask-wearing of the isolated individuals needs to be enhanced.

Keywords: psychological changes; quarantine; self-protection; wearing masks.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • China
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Humans
  • Masks*
  • Pandemics
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Surveys and Questionnaires