Perceptions of Mask Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Posted by rpage on 05/26/2021

Masking has certainly been a hot-button issue, and the focus on those with lung disease is important. My thanks and congratulations to the authors.

Posted by dbachoy on 05/26/2021 Reply to rpage

Thanks Dean Page!

Posted by mihowlet on 05/26/2021

Great project! This is likely beyond what you examined, but I wonder what role media coverage regarding mask use in patients with lung disease played in influencing their perspectives on this topic. I would be curious to see if clinical reassurance about mask wearing could overcome other sources of information and personal negative experiences with breathing while wearing a mask. It would also be interesting to see how various types of masks may impact these responses in a future study.

Posted by nbrunett on 05/26/2021 Reply to mihowlet

Great question! We did discuss potentially surveying patients on their preferred method of news to investigate any relationship to their perceptions, whether it was social media, national news, local news, print, blogs, or some other form, but decided that we ultimately didn't have enough time in our survey. We definitely feel it would be important to investigate the source of people's knowledge as I would imagine it definitely influences their perceptions and has an impact on behavior.

Posted by tconley on 05/26/2021 Reply to mihowlet

This is a great question! As Nick mentioned, timing was definitely a factor in the questions we did include in our survey. Our average respondent age was in the mid 40s but I imagine if we broke down the information to observe how different age groups obtain pertinent information and whether or not those with and without lung disease have established and ongoing care to receive our suggested guidance on communication, platforms outside of a clinical setting might be more appropriate to leverage for clarity in the information delivered to target populations. This could absolutely carry into further analysis. Thanks for your question!