Effect of facemask use on cognitive function during a maximal running aerobic fitness test

Abstract

Background: The aim of the present randomized, crossover study was to determine the physiological and cognitive function responses while wearing a facemask during a maximal running aerobic fitness test.Methods: Fourteen healthy, nonsmoking physical education students (age = 17.5 years, height = 1.72 m, body mass = 70.4 kg) volunteered to participate in this study. They carried out a 20 m multistage fitness test (MSFT) while wearing or not a cloth facemask on two separate occasions performed in random order. The “Rating of Perceived Exertion” (RPE) and the d2 test for visual attention were administered and assessed before and immediately after the MSFT for both conditions (with or without a facemask).Results: When wearing the facemask, the participants exhibited lower maximal aerobic speed (p = 0.039), VO2max (p = 0.039), distance covered during the MSFT (p = 0.057), and concentration performance (p < 0.001), when compared with the control situation (without facemask). Moreover, they made more errors compared with the control condition (p = 0.021). The use of a cloth facemask during maximal endurance running tests (such as the MSFT) reduced VO2max, and measures of cognitive performance as assessed by the test of focused visual attention (the d2 test). This data suggests avoiding using a cloth facemask during maximal aerobic fitness tests, and before any tasks that require a high level of visual attention.

The effects of wearing face masks on the perception and mood of male healthy male adults during treadmill running: A pilot study

“…We also examined the effect of wearing a face mask in running speed. A previous study showed that wearing a mask decreased running speed and exercise volume during maximal‐intensity aerobic endurance testing (Slimani et al., 2022). We expected that wearing a mask would cause dyspnea and as a result, less exercise volume, but the data shows the running speed increased (Figure 4a,b).…”