M. Haischer, R. Beilfuss, M. R. Hart, L. Opielinski, D. Wrucke, G. Zirgaitis, T. D. Uhrich, S. K. Hunter
medRxiv, 2020
Masks are an effective tool in combatting the spread of COVID-19 but wearing them remains controversial and has not been studied in the United States. To understand the demographics of mask wearers in the US, we observed shoppers (n = 5517) entering retail stores. 41.5% of the observed sample wore a mask. The odds of an individual wearing a mask increased significantly with age, and was also 1.5x greater for females than males. Additionally, the odds of observing a mask on an urban or suburban shopper were ~4x that for rural areas. Thus, gender, age, and location factor into whether American shoppers wear a mask or face covering. Regardless, all demographics wore masks at substantially lesser rates than required to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Cited by 72 publications.
Field of study: Medicine