Preferences and Practices of Face Mask to Halt the Spread of COVID-19: A Multi-Country Research on the New Normal

Objective: To determine preferences and practices regarding facemasks in order to prevent COVID-19 spread among citizens of different countries. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted from July to August, 2020. Participants of more than 15 years of age, irrespective of the residing country and gender, who had access to the internet and understood the English language, were voluntarily asked to participate in the study. The survey form was distributed digitally among 12 different countries through social media platforms. The survey form had the following 4 sub-sections: Section one included a written informed consent form, section two included questions regarding socio-demographics, the third section included a question on face mask preferences, fourth section assessed respondents’ practices regarding face mask wearing in terms of hygiene and disposing habits. Results: Among the 2,573 participants, the mean age was 32.58±11.65 years with the majority being females (54.8%). From all the included 12 countries, it was found that a surgical mask was the most preferred type of face mask and there was a statistically significant difference in the percentage of face mask preferences in all countries (p=0.001). The majority of the participants were found to have inappropriate practices regarding face mask usage, hygiene, and subsequent disposing (78.1%). In all countries, the percentage of inappropriate practices was significantly higher than appropriate practices with a p-value=0.001. Conclusion: Surgical mask was a commonly used face mask and among all countries, practices regarding the usage of face masks, hygiene, and disposal of face masks were inappropriate. However, in both India and America, the second most preferred mask was a reusable fabric mask instead of the N95 respirator. Furthermore, most participants from all the included countries exhibited inappropriate practices when it came to facemask wearing, hand washing, and disposing of the mask.