Psycho-social Factors Affecting the use of Masks during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Be'sat Hospital in Hamadan: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Background and Objective: Despite the definite positive effect of wearing masks in preventing diseases, the level of adherence has been reported to be very low in some communities. This study was conducted to determine psycho-social factors affecting the use of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic at Be'sat Hospital in Hamadan, Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 384 people referring to the Be'sat Medical Research and Training Hospital in Hamadan in 2022. The samples were selected using the availability sampling method. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire that included 51 questions to assess the participants' demographic, economic, social, cultural, and spiritual status and was completed by face-to-face interview method. The data were analyzed in SPSS 26 software using Chi-square, Monte Carlo, Mann-Whitney, and Student's t-tests were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean age of the participants was 36.76±11.71 years. More than half of the participants (54.7%) were men. The frequency of wearing a mask at the time of the interview was 48.4%. According to the findings, the frequency of using a mask was significantly lower in men than in women. A significant relationship was observed between wearing a mask and being single, being more educated, living in the city, and lacking a smoking history (P<0.001). Moreover, higher economic, cultural, and social status showed a significant relationship with using a mask (P<0.001). Conclusion: Economic, social, and cultural factors were identified as the influential factors in mask use; therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to preventive behaviors, social norms, and culturalization during epidemics.