The Effect of Wearing a Mask on Health and Comfort During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Abstract
The Coronavirus that originated in Hubei province, China was declared a global public health emergency and pandemic. To prevent an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients, the Indonesian Government is undertaking a policy mandating that everyone wears a mask. Masks are used to protect people from droplets. The use of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic is highly recommended by many international authorities. The prolonged use of masks can affect a person’s health and discomfort. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of using masks on health and comfort. This was a descriptive analytical study which used a cross-sectional design. 73 respondents were recruited by total sampling. Data collection was through questionnaires and observations, while data analysis was conducted using logistic regression. The results showed that the effect of using a mask on health was 2.7% and the effect of using a mask on comfort was 64.4%. Based on the results of the study, it is concluded that there is an effect of using a mask on comfort
Keywords: mask, health, comfort, pandemic, COVID-19
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