Adults' Awareness about Mask Use

Objective: Respiratory pandemics cannot be prevented from spreading if the mask is not worn correctly. This study aims to determine adult's awareness of mask use and the factors that influence mask use. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in a university hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic (June 2020). Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics and mask use. Results: In the presented study, 705 people were included. The mean age of the participants was 35.86 +/- 8.77 (18-65) years old and 71.2% (n=502) were male, and 45.5% (n=321) were university graduates. Complete compliance with the pandemic rules was achieved by 83.7% of women (n=170) and 58.0% of men (n=291) (p<0.001). While 77.6% (n=547) used surgical/medical masks, 60.4% (n=426) reported using the same mask more than once. Of these, 44.8% (n=191) washed the mask, 36.9% (n=157) ventilated the mask and 18.3% (n=78) did nothing before reuse. Among mask wearers, 51.9% (n=366) reported breathing difficulties and 33.2% (n=234) reported that wearing a mask had a negative psychological impact. Conclusions: It has been determined that there is a lack of information on the use of masks, even during the COVID-19 pandemic where the use of masks is mandatory. It is important that the mask is used correctly to provide effective protection. Efforts should be accelerated to ensure that all of the are aware of this issue.