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BMC Public Health. November 15, 2021; 21(1):2099. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-12175-9.

Background: Guidelines and recommendations related to masks provided by public health authorities are essential to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. We assessed the prevalence and relevance of mask use during the pandemic.

Method: We checked a total of 13,723,810 responses from a daily cross-sectional online survey conducted in 38 countries between April 23, 2020 and October 31, 2020. These people reported that they had at least Once publicly. The result is the use of personal masks in the public environment. The predictive factors are national fixed effects, the strictness of the national mask policy, calendar time, personal sociodemographic factors and health prevention behaviors. Use survey weighted multivariate logistic regression to model associations.

Result: In 38 countries/regions, the wearing of masks has changed over time. Although some countries have consistently shown a high prevalence rate, in other countries, the use of masks has gradually increased, while some other countries are still at a low prevalence rate. Control time and national fixed effects, socio-demographic factors (older, female, education, urbanization) and stricter mask-related policies are significantly related to higher mask usage rates in public places. Crucially, social behaviors that are considered risky in the context of the pandemic (participation in large-scale events, restaurants, shopping malls, and social activities outside the home) are associated with lower mask usage rates.

Conclusion: The decision to wear masks in public is significantly related to socio-demographic factors, dangerous social behaviors and the policy of wearing masks. This has important implications for health prevention policies and information transmission, including the need for more targeted policy and information transmission design.

PMID: 34781917 | DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-12175-9