Factors associated with the use and reuse of face masks among Brazilian individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fernanda Maria Vieira Pereira-Ávila, Simon Ching Lam, Fernanda Garcia Bezerra Góes and 7 others
PMID 32901772WHAT IT FOUND
Most participants reported wearing masks, especially fabric masks.
Women and people with respiratory-symptom contact were more likely to wear masks, but many reused disposable surgical masks, a risky practice.
Key findings
01Of 3,981 participants, 3,803 reported using masks, and 2,895 reported using fabric/cotton homemade masks.
02After adjustment, women had approximately twice the likelihood of using masks, and contact with people with respiratory symptoms increased the likelihood approximately 1.8 times.
03Among 551 participants who exclusively wore surgical masks, 308 reported reusing them, and reuse among women was two times less likely than in the population.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used social media and email invitations, so people without internet access or digital literacy were not included. The study relied on participants' reports in an online form, and the researchers could not clarify questions when participants did not understand them. The study did not assess the circumstances in which the form was completed. The study did not assess the circumstances in which people considered it necessary to wash masks. Most participants were women and most had a college education, so the findings may not reflect the whole adult population. Health workers were excluded, so the results do not describe mask practices among staff in health settings.
Declared interests
The study was funded by CNPq in Brazil. The supplied text does not report author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the associations as proof that masks prevent infection or that one factor causes mask use. The study reports self-reported mask use and reuse in a general population survey, not clinical outcomes or causal effects.