Adherence of Facemask During COVID Pandemic Among South Asian CountriesA Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Khadijah Abid; Abira Imran; Yashfika Abdul Bari; Tooba Zaidi; Maryam Younus; Zainab Pervez Khambati; Abul Hasan Md. Khaza Baki Billah; Bikash Khura; Abdul Jabar

doi:10.51253/pafmj.v72i2.6163

Authors

Khadijah Abid Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Karachi Pakistan
Abira Imran Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
Yashfika Abdul Bari Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Karachi Pakistan
Tooba Zaidi Dow university of health sciences, Karachi Pakistan
Maryam Younus Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Karachi Pakistan
Zainab Pervez Khambati Jinnah Medical and Dental College, Karachi Pakistan
Abul Hasan Md. Khaza Baki Billah Daffodil International University, Dhaka Bangladesh
Bikash Khura International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai India
Abdul Jabar University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Rawalpindi Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v72i2.6163

Keywords:

Adherence, Coronavirus, face mask, prevention, public health, socio-demographic factors

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the facemask adherence rate among South Asian countries and to examine association between face mask adherence and socio-demographic factors.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and duration of study: South Asian countries (Pakistan, India and Bangladesh), from Jul to Sep 2020.

Methodology: A total of 1579 individuals of age more than 14 years, of either gender, who had internet accessibility and understood English, participated in the study. The study was designed on Google forms and distributed through social media networks. The three South-Asian countries, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, were targeted. Data regarding socio-demographics and type of facemask adherence was collected.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 31.32 ± 9.83 years. Of all the participants, there were 826 (46.3%) males, and 959 (53.7%) were females. Univariate analysis showed that females, Muslims, education level till graduate, employed, monthly income ≤$300, and Bangladeshis participants had higher odds of face mask adherence (p<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that females, Muslims, urban residents, secondary level education, employed, family monthly income $100-$300, and Bangladeshis were strongly associated with face mask adherence (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Among the three countries, Bangladeshis had higher facemask adherence than Pakistan and India. The sociodemographic factors associated with facemask usage were gender, religion, locality, education, employment status, family monthly income, and nationality.