ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2020
Motivations and Barriers for the Use of Face Coverings during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Messaging Insights from Focus Groups.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Evidence of Face Masks and Masking Policies for the Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and COVID-19 in Real-World Settings: A Systematic Literature Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- Community practice of using face masks for the prevention of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.PloS one · 2021Trial
- Understanding and addressing the obstacles to a trial of face masks in schools: a mixed-methods feasibility study.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2026Article
- Mitochondria-targeted antioxidant skq1 reverses functional impairment and histopathological insults in a chronic animal model of multiple sclerosis.Metabolic brain disease · 2025Article
- Understanding healthcare workers' experiences of face mask use in healthcare settings during the COVID-19 pandemic: an interview study.Infection prevention in practice · 2025Article
- Association of social vulnerability index and masking adherence among children enrolled in COVID-19 community research partnership study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Article
- What Sustains Mask-Wearing Behavior among Elders in a Rural Community in the Post-COVID-19 Era: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The government of masks in sentinel territories against Covid-19: Dakar and Seine-Saint-Denis.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Prediction of compliance with preventive measures among teachers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Technological forecasting and social change · 2023Article
- Barriers to and facilitators of populational adherence to prevention and control measures of COVID-19 and other respiratory infectious diseases: a qualitative evidence synthesis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2023Review
- Exploring the impact of motivations on individual online and offline preventive actions against COVID-19.Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.) · 2023Article
- Correlates of COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Black Adults Residing in Allegheny County, PA.Health equity · 2023Article
- Facilitators and barriers to COVID-19 testing in community and clinical settings: Lessons learned from Lesotho and Zambia.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- The scientistic worldview and its relationships with fear of COVID, conspiracy beliefs, preventive behaviors, and attitudes towards vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Polish sample.Current issues in personality psychology · 2023Article
- Is social media, as a main source of information on COVID-19, associated with perceived effectiveness of face mask use? Findings from six sub-Saharan African countries.Global health promotion · 2022Article
- Mitigation Planning and Policies Informed by COVID-19 Modeling: A Framework and Case Study of the State of Hawaii.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
- Pandemic Experience of First Responders: Fear, Frustration, and Stress.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Analysis of the Effects of a Texas State-Wide Mask Mandate (Executive Order GA-29) on Case Load, Hospitalizations, and Mortality.Southern medical journal · 2022Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Widespread use of face coverings is a key public health strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, few studies have examined why Americans use or do not use face coverings, and little is known about the most effective messaging strategies. This study explored perceptions of face coverings, including motivations and barriers for use, and examined reactions to messaging promoting the use of face coverings. Six virtual focus groups were conducted with 34 North Carolina residents in July 2020. Participants reported high compliance with face covering recommendations but often did not wear them around family, friends, and colleagues. The most prevalent motivation for the use of face coverings was to protect or respect other people, including high-risk populations and individuals. Other motivators were self-protection, responsibility, desire for control, requirements, and expert advice. Barriers included physical and social discomfort, confusion or misinformation, low perceived susceptibility to COVID-19, and perceptions of identity and autonomy. Even among individuals who frequently wear face coverings, there are opportunities to improve compliance. Messaging should highlight how face coverings protect the wearer and others around them, normalize the use of face coverings in social settings, and emphasize requirements. Positive messages that focus on unity, personal experiences and the rationale for face coverings are recommended.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.