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. 2023 Mar 14;45(1):e87-e94.
doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdac007.

Collective health behavior and face mask utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic in Oklahoma, USA

Laura A Bray  1 , Olivia Porter  1 , Andrew Kim  1 , Lori L Jervis  2
Affiliations

Collective health behavior and face mask utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic in Oklahoma, USA

Laura A Bray et al. J Public Health (Oxf). .

Abstract

Background: Face mask use offers an important public health tool for reducing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), yet the politicization of COVID-19 has resulted in uneven adherence. This study assesses the effects of setting characteristics and the sociodemographic composition of crowds on group-level masking rates.

Methods: We conducted 123 site observations of masking behavior at public locations across Oklahoma (USA) between June and September 2020. We used analyses of variance and t-tests to examine variation in masking and ordinary least squares regression to model the effect of setting and sociodemographic characteristics on site-level masking rates.

Results: The masking rate across all sites averaged 34% but varied widely. Site-level masking rates were higher at metropolitan sites and sites with a store or municipal masking mandate. The masking rate at sites where women or older adults (60+) were the predominant group did not differ significantly from other sites. Ethnically diverse sites exhibited significantly higher masking rates compared with predominantly white sites. Findings indicate that setting characteristics explained a greater amount of variation in collective masking rates than sociodemographic differences.

Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of place and policy for mask adherence. In the absence of state-level mandates, masking policies at a more local level may be effective.

Keywords: Covid-19; Oklahoma; collective behavior; face mask use; mask ordinances.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Map of COVID-19 masking observations sites by urban/rural status, Oklahoma (USA).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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