tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
JMIR Public Health Surveill
. 2020 May 18.
doi: 10.2196/19501. Online ahead of print.
Online National Health Agency Mask Guidance for the Public in Light of COVID-19: A Content Analysis
Linnea Laestadius[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yang Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ziyad Ben Taleb[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mohammad Ebrahimi Kalan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Young Cho[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jennifer Manganello[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: The rapid global spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has compelled national governments to issue guidance on the use of face masks for members of the general public. To date, no work has assessed how this guidance differs across governments.
Objective: This study seeks to contribute to a rational and consistent global response to infectious disease by determining how guidelines differ across nations and regions.
Methods: A content analysis of health agency mask guidelines on agency websites was performed in late March 2020 among 25 countries/regions with large numbers of COVID-19 cases. Countries/regions were assigned across the coding team by language proficiency, with Google Translate used as needed. When available, both the original and English language version of guidance were reviewed.
Results: All examined countries/regions had some form of guidance online, although detail and clarity differed. While nine countries/regions recommended surgical, medical, or unspecified masks in public and/or poorly ventilated places, sixteen recommended against people wearing masks in public. Two explicitly recommended against fabric masks. Twelve failed to outline the minimum basic World Health Organization guidance for masks.
Conclusions: Online guidelines for face mask use to prevent COVID-19 in the general public are currently inconsistent across nations/regions and have been changing often. Efforts to create greater standardization and clarity should be explored in light of the status of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.
. 2020 May 18.
doi: 10.2196/19501. Online ahead of print.
Online National Health Agency Mask Guidance for the Public in Light of COVID-19: A Content Analysis
Linnea Laestadius[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yang Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ziyad Ben Taleb[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mohammad Ebrahimi Kalan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Young Cho[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jennifer Manganello[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 32427103
- DOI: 10.2196/19501
Abstract
Background: The rapid global spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has compelled national governments to issue guidance on the use of face masks for members of the general public. To date, no work has assessed how this guidance differs across governments.
Objective: This study seeks to contribute to a rational and consistent global response to infectious disease by determining how guidelines differ across nations and regions.
Methods: A content analysis of health agency mask guidelines on agency websites was performed in late March 2020 among 25 countries/regions with large numbers of COVID-19 cases. Countries/regions were assigned across the coding team by language proficiency, with Google Translate used as needed. When available, both the original and English language version of guidance were reviewed.
Results: All examined countries/regions had some form of guidance online, although detail and clarity differed. While nine countries/regions recommended surgical, medical, or unspecified masks in public and/or poorly ventilated places, sixteen recommended against people wearing masks in public. Two explicitly recommended against fabric masks. Twelve failed to outline the minimum basic World Health Organization guidance for masks.
Conclusions: Online guidelines for face mask use to prevent COVID-19 in the general public are currently inconsistent across nations/regions and have been changing often. Efforts to create greater standardization and clarity should be explored in light of the status of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.