Community practices of face mask use and associated knowledge and attitude in a Malaysian town during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Published in: Ghana medical journal Vol. 57; no. 2; pp. 102 - 111
• Main Authors: A. Jalaluddin, Husna, A. S. Burud, Ismail, P. C. Yew, Regina, Thoong Loh, Xiao, G. J. Tan, Quintina, Nathan, Navinea, M. Daher, Aqil
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ghana Medical Association 01.06.2023
• Subjects: Original
• ISSN: 0016-9560; 2616-163X
• DOI: 10.4314/gmj.v57i2.4

Objectives: Among the vital measures to effectively curb the incidence of COVID-19 is the use of face masks. Little is known about what people understand and how they perceive and use face masks. This study aimed to determine the community’s knowledge, attitude, and practice on the correct use of face masks.Design: A cross-sectional study.Setting: The study was carried out in Seremban 2, Malaysia using a self-administered questionnaire adapted from validated questionnaires of two previous studies.Participants: Through opportunistic sampling, three hundred and ninety-two literate adults (above 18) residing in Seremban 2, Malaysia, participated in this study.Main outcome measure: Knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were assessed among the participants.Results: Three hundred seventy (94.4%) respondents demonstrated satisfactory knowledge. A satisfactory attitude score was achieved by 349 (89%) respondents, while 281 (71.7%) achieved a satisfactory practice score. Better knowledge was significantly associated with college or university education (p=0.028). Female gender (p=0.011) and college or university education (p=0.043) were significantly associated with better practice (p<0.05). Significant but weak to fair correlations between knowledge, attitude and practice were observed.Conclusion: Overall, there was satisfactory knowledge, attitude, and practice of face mask use among the Seremban 2 adult population in Malaysia. However, future public health education targeted toward the use of face masks requires more emphasis on proper usage and disposal to translate good knowledge into a good attitude and practice of face mask use to ensure the effectiveness in curbing the spread of infection.