The use of facemasks to prevent respiratory infection: a literature review in the context of the Health Belief Model
| Autor: | Shin Wei Sim, Ngiap Chuan Tan, Kirm Seng Peter Moey |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2014 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male Health Knowledge Attitudes Practice medicine.medical_specialty Pediatrics Adolescent Context (language use) Health Promotion Young Adult Sex Factors Sex factors Ethnicity Humans Medicine Health belief model Intensive care medicine Respiratory Tract Infections Singapore Respiratory tract infections business.industry Age Factors Masks Preventive health Respiratory infection General Medicine Local community Health promotion Communicable Disease Control Educational Status Female Original Article business |
| Zdroj: | Singapore Medical Journal |
| ISSN: | 0037-5675 |
| DOI: | 10.11622/smedj.2014037 |
| Popis: | Acute respiratory infections are prevalent and pose a constant threat to society. While the use of facemasks has proven to be an effective barrier to curb the aerosol spread of such diseases, its use in the local community is uncommon, resulting in doubts being cast on its effectiveness in preventing airborne infections during epidemics. We thus aimed to conduct a literature review to determine the factors that influence the use of facemasks as a primary preventive health measure in the community.A search for publications relating to facemask usage was performed on Medline, PubMed, Google, World Health Organization and Singapore government agencies' websites, using search terms such as 'facemask', 'mask', 'influenza', 'respiratory infection', 'personal protective equipment', 'disease prevention', 'compliance' and 'adherence'. Findings were framed under five components of the Health Belief Model: perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, perceived severity, perceived barriers and cues to action.We found that individuals are more likely to wear facemasks due to the perceived susceptibility and perceived severity of being afflicted with life-threatening diseases. Although perceived susceptibility appeared to be the most significant factor determining compliance, perceived benefits of mask-wearing was found to have significant effects on mask-wearing compliance as well. Perceived barriers include experience or perception of personal discomfort and sense of embarrassment. Media blitz and public health promotion activities supported by government agencies provide cues to increase the public's usage of facemasks.Complex interventions that use multipronged approaches targeting the five components of the Health Belief Model, especially perceived susceptibility, are needed to increase the use of facemasks in the community. Further studies are required to evaluate the effectiveness of implemented interventions. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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