Adherence to face mask and social distancing among residents in Medan during the COVID-19 pandemics

Abstract

Introduction: Face mask is mandatory during the Covid-19 Pandemics as personal protection and limits the virus transmission in the community. The government of Indonesia has issued regulations regarding face masks and social distancing in the community. Due to that, it is important to explore the adherence to face masks and social distancing. This study aimed to assess communities' adherence to face masks and social distancing and the associated factors in Medan.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Medan, Indonesia, in November 2020. A total of 572 residents were enrolled using a convenience - multistage sampling method from public spaces. Data were collected using direct observation.Results: Most subjects were women (55.1%) from the adults' age group (61.9%). Only 34.3% of the subjects wore face masks properly, and only 10.6% maintained social distancing. The most common face mask used was a cloth mask (25.8%). Women and older age tended to use face mask compared. The prevalence of face mask use is significantly higher with strict regulation and control (p=0.0001). We also found a correlation between the type of face mask and adherence (p=0.0001).Conclusions: We found that the adherence to face masks and social distancing was low in Medan. Therefore, it is very important to initiate interventions to foster face mask adherence in a community in Medan.

Effects of Target Variables on Interpersonal Distance Perception for Young Taiwanese during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…A gap area of 4.3 cm 2 at the nose bridge was the most frequent incorrect practice when wearing a surgical mask, leading to a leakage of 60%. Siahaan et al [ 56 ] conducted a cross-sectional study in Indonesia and reported that only 34.3% of the participants wore face masks correctly. Ganczak et al [ 57 ] observed that the proportion of using masks correctly decreased from 65.9% to 58.9% within 2 weeks.…”

Effect of mask coverage on face identification in Taiwanese men and women

“…Although the CDC has recommended a standard protocol for wearing masks, we observed that people alter the coverage of face masks ( Figure 1 ) to maximize their comfort level or to facilitate identification by others. According to a survey of Indonesian residents, only 34.3% of the subjects wore face masks properly ( Siahaan et al, 2021 ). Ganczak et al (2021) further discovered that uncovered noses were the most frequent incorrect practices for masks wearing, with approximately 50% in the country.…”

Perceived Interpersonal Distances: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Young Taiwanese and Young Southeast Asians during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Governments worldwide have strongly recommended measures such as maintaining social distancing and wearing masks, especially in public spaces, as the primary strategies for epidemic prevention [2][3][4]. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on IPD has been extensively studied, taking into consideration factors such as participant gender [4][5][6], target gender [4,7,8], mask wearing [3,7,9,10], and vaccination [4]. Generally, men exhibited shorter IPD, and IPD is shorter when encountering fully vaccinated women who wear masks compared to their counterparts [4][5][6][7][8][9][10].…”

“…The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on IPD has been extensively studied, taking into consideration factors such as participant gender [4][5][6], target gender [4,7,8], mask wearing [3,7,9,10], and vaccination [4]. Generally, men exhibited shorter IPD, and IPD is shorter when encountering fully vaccinated women who wear masks compared to their counterparts [4][5][6][7][8][9][10].…”