Another New Year, Will the Chinese Residents Wear Face Masks Again? A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Xin Shen,Zhenyu Nui,Chuanzhu Lv,Hui Cao,Yuxin Zhao,Zihui Lei,Xiaotong Han,Shijiao Yan,Jing Feng,Yong Gan

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.727234

Abstract

Background: As more and more countries enter the low-transmission phase, maintaining prevention awareness among the population is critical to prevent a secondary outbreak. With large-scale interpersonal communication, whether Chinese residents can maintain a high awareness of prevention and control and adhere to the use of masks during the Chinese New Year of 2021 is worth studying.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in China from February 4 to 26, 2021. A convenient sampling strategy was adopted to recruit participators. Participants were asked to fill out the questions that assessed the questionnaire on face mask use. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the mask-wearing behaviors of the public. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors affecting mask-wearing behaviors.Results: A total of 2,361 residents filled out the questionnaire. In the mixed-effect logistic regression analysis, Chinese residents who were older (OR = 7.899, 95%CI = 4.183–14.916), employed (OR = 1.887, 95%CI = 1.373–2.594), had a chronic disease (OR = 1.777, 95%CI = 1.307–2.418), reused face masks (OR = 22.155, 95%CI = 15.331–32.016) and have read the face mask instructions (OR = 3.552, 95%CI = 1.989–6.341) were more likely to use face masks in interpersonal communication during the Spring Festival; while people who have breathing discomfort caused by face masks (OR = 0.556, 95%CI = 0.312–0.991) and considered that using masks repeatedly is wasteful (OR = 0.657, 95%CI = 0.482–0.895) were more unlikely to use face masks.Conclusions: Our results revealed that 83.86% of people wore face masks during the Chinese New Year; however, some aspects require further promotion. By investigating the use of masks by Chinese residents during the Spring Festival and its influencing factors, we can reflect the prevention awareness of the residents during the low transmission period of COVID-19, which can provide a reference for Chinese and global public health policymakers.

Highlights

As more and more countries enter the low-transmission phase, maintaining prevention awareness among the population is critical to prevent a secondary outbreak
Because of the highly infectious nature of COVID-19 and the ongoing severity of the global epidemic, wearing masks has become a part of daily life
More and more countries are entering the low-infection period, face masks can still play an important role in preventing a second outbreak

Summary

Introduction

As more and more countries enter the low-transmission phase, maintaining prevention awareness among the population is critical to prevent a secondary outbreak. The virus is mainly transmitted from person to person through the mouth, nose, or eyes through respiratory droplets, aerosols, or contaminants [2, 3] It can live on surfaces for up to 72 h [4] and contact with contaminated surfaces and touching the face is another possible source of transmission [5]. The WHO and the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [6] strongly recommend that people with symptoms or known infections wear masks to prevent the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to others [7]. Wearing a mask in a community setting is recommended to reduce the transmission of SARSCoV-2 [7, 9] as it protects the uninfected wearers (protective effect) and reduces the transmission from the infected wearers (source control)

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Discussion

Conclusion