Awareness on Usage of Face Masks in Public Places

Abstract

Aim: To assess the knowledge and awareness on usage of face masks in public places.

Introduction: Face mask is a personal protective equipment that is most commonly used by health care and non-health care professionals. These masks help in preventing the entry of microorganisms or particulates by the help of filtering membranes. Use of face masks during pandemic is an important safety measure for reducing the spread of any air-borne transmissible diseases. Sterilization of face masks can be done through various methods. Customisation of face masks helps economically and is advisable now-a-days.

Materials and methods: A cross sectional survey is conducted online regarding the awareness, sterilization, customisation and usage of face masks in public places through an online portal. The study was conducted in March to May 2020.The results are expressed in the form of bar graphs. The collected data is analysed statistically using SPSS software.

Results and discussion: The current study states that 77% of population have awareness about face mask.78.8% of the population use face mask to prevent entry of liquid droplets. 80.5% of the population preferred customised face mask and 58.5% preferred sterilization of face mask. 56.8% states that it helps in reducing the spread of COVID-19.

Conclusion: The current study culminates that the sample population is aware of using face masks in public places. The awareness on customisation and sterilization of face masks are also represented in the study.