The Adverse and Advantage Effects of Wearing a Facemask in Thai Children: A Survey During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Background: There is little information on facemask use during the COVID-19 pandemic in the pediatric population. This became the main purpose of the present study to investigate demographic data of facemask wearing in children, types, and length of facemask, as well as the benefits, drawbacks, and...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319221131704 |
| _version_ | 1811197283247587328 |
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| author | Kritchawan Ratchatavech Leelawadee Techasatian Sunee Panombualert Rattapon Uppala |
| author_facet | Kritchawan Ratchatavech Leelawadee Techasatian Sunee Panombualert Rattapon Uppala |
| author_sort | Kritchawan Ratchatavech |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: There is little information on facemask use during the COVID-19 pandemic in the pediatric population. This became the main purpose of the present study to investigate demographic data of facemask wearing in children, types, and length of facemask, as well as the benefits, drawbacks, and negative consequences of facemask wearing in this population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire sent via Google Forms. Caregivers for consecutive convenience were asked in the survey (parents of children under the age of 18). Results: A total number of 706 children were enrolled. There were 320 boys (45.33%), and 386 girls (54.67%). The children’s ages range between 4 months and 18 years, with a median age of 9 years. A surgical mask (549, 77.76%) was the most frequent type of facemask in the study population, followed by a cloth mask (86, 12.18%). Facemasks have been shown to be beneficial in the pediatric population. When compared to a former time when facemasks were not used routinely, there were considerably fewer respiratory infections, reduced diarrhea symptoms, and a drop in hospital admissions. In 317 cases (44.9%), children were shown to have negative consequences from wearing facemasks. The most prevalent adverse effect observed in the study population was non-cutaneous (respiratory discomfort/breathing difficulty) which were found in 240 cases (33.99%). Double masking method (surgical + surgical) and wearing a facemask oversize revealed a higher risk in the presence of facemask adverse effects, whereas wearing a proper size facemask reduces the risk of adverse effects from facemask use in children (Adjusted OR [95% CI] = 0.55 [0.38-0.78], P .0003). Conclusions: Wearing a proper-size facemask reduces the risk of adverse effects from facemask use in children. The future suggestion of an appropriate facemask size for a certain age will aid in the avoidance of facemask adverse effects in the pediatric population. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T01:11:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d1a9e509e3724b4bb63cb45eb4bd2b20 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2150-1327 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T01:11:29Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-d1a9e509e3724b4bb63cb45eb4bd2b202022-12-22T03:54:05ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Primary Care & Community Health2150-13272022-10-011310.1177/21501319221131704The Adverse and Advantage Effects of Wearing a Facemask in Thai Children: A Survey During the COVID-19 PandemicKritchawan Ratchatavech0Leelawadee Techasatian1Sunee Panombualert2Rattapon Uppala3Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, ThailandKhon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, ThailandKhon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, ThailandKhon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, ThailandBackground: There is little information on facemask use during the COVID-19 pandemic in the pediatric population. This became the main purpose of the present study to investigate demographic data of facemask wearing in children, types, and length of facemask, as well as the benefits, drawbacks, and negative consequences of facemask wearing in this population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire sent via Google Forms. Caregivers for consecutive convenience were asked in the survey (parents of children under the age of 18). Results: A total number of 706 children were enrolled. There were 320 boys (45.33%), and 386 girls (54.67%). The children’s ages range between 4 months and 18 years, with a median age of 9 years. A surgical mask (549, 77.76%) was the most frequent type of facemask in the study population, followed by a cloth mask (86, 12.18%). Facemasks have been shown to be beneficial in the pediatric population. When compared to a former time when facemasks were not used routinely, there were considerably fewer respiratory infections, reduced diarrhea symptoms, and a drop in hospital admissions. In 317 cases (44.9%), children were shown to have negative consequences from wearing facemasks. The most prevalent adverse effect observed in the study population was non-cutaneous (respiratory discomfort/breathing difficulty) which were found in 240 cases (33.99%). Double masking method (surgical + surgical) and wearing a facemask oversize revealed a higher risk in the presence of facemask adverse effects, whereas wearing a proper size facemask reduces the risk of adverse effects from facemask use in children (Adjusted OR [95% CI] = 0.55 [0.38-0.78], P .0003). Conclusions: Wearing a proper-size facemask reduces the risk of adverse effects from facemask use in children. The future suggestion of an appropriate facemask size for a certain age will aid in the avoidance of facemask adverse effects in the pediatric population.https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319221131704 |
| spellingShingle | Kritchawan Ratchatavech Leelawadee Techasatian Sunee Panombualert Rattapon Uppala The Adverse and Advantage Effects of Wearing a Facemask in Thai Children: A Survey During the COVID-19 Pandemic Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| title | The Adverse and Advantage Effects of Wearing a Facemask in Thai Children: A Survey During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full | The Adverse and Advantage Effects of Wearing a Facemask in Thai Children: A Survey During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | The Adverse and Advantage Effects of Wearing a Facemask in Thai Children: A Survey During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Adverse and Advantage Effects of Wearing a Facemask in Thai Children: A Survey During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_short | The Adverse and Advantage Effects of Wearing a Facemask in Thai Children: A Survey During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_sort | adverse and advantage effects of wearing a facemask in thai children a survey during the covid 19 pandemic |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319221131704 |
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