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Personal Protective Effect of Wearing Surgical Face Masks in Public Spaces on Self-Reported Respiratory Symptoms
TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
- This pragmatic randomised superiority trial conducted in Norway evaluated the effects of wearing surgical face masks in public spaces between February and April 2023. The 2371 participants assigned to wear surgical masks reported significantly fewer symptoms consistent with respiratory infection compared with the 2276 participants assigned to the control cohort who did not wear surgical masks (8.9% vs 12.2%, P = .001). There was no significant difference in self-reported or registered COVID-19 cases.
- There is conflicting and overall limited data in the literature regarding the preventive benefits of surgical mask use in public spaces. This study, backed by a robust sample size but limited by the possibility of placebo effect, supports the personal protective benefits of surgical face masks.
abstract
This abstract is available on the publisher's site.
Access this abstract nowOBJECTIVE
To evaluate the personal protective effects of wearing versus not wearing surgical face masks in public spaces on self-reported respiratory symptoms over a 14 day period.
DESIGN
Pragmatic randomised superiority trial.
SETTING
Norway.
PARTICIPANTS
4647 adults aged ≥18 years: 2371 were assigned to the intervention arm and 2276 to the control arm.
INTERVENTIONS
Participants in the intervention arm were assigned to wear a surgical face mask in public spaces (eg, shopping centres, streets, public transport) over a 14 day period (mask wearing at home or work was not mentioned). Participants in the control arm were assigned to not wear a surgical face mask in public places.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The primary outcome was self-reported respiratory symptoms consistent with a respiratory infection. Secondary outcomes included self-reported and registered covid-19 infection.
RESULTS
Between 10 February 2023 and 27 April 2023, 4647 participants were randomised of whom 4575 (2788 women (60.9%); mean age 51.0 (standard deviation 15.0) years) were included in the intention-to-treat analysis: 2313 (50.6%) in the intervention arm and 2262 (49.4%) in the control arm. 163 events (8.9%) of self-reported symptoms consistent with respiratory infection were reported in the intervention arm and 239 (12.2%) in the control arm. The marginal odds ratio was 0.71 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58 to 0.87; P=0.001) favouring the face mask intervention. The absolute risk difference was -3.2% (95% CI -5.2% to -1.3%; P<0.001). No statistically significant effect was found on self- reported (marginal odds ratio 1.07, 95% CI 0.58 to 1.98; P=0.82) or registered covid-19 infection (effect estimate and 95% CI not estimable owing to lack of events in the intervention arm).
CONCLUSION
Wearing a surgical face mask in public spaces over 14 days reduces the risk of self-reported symptoms consistent with a respiratory infection, compared with not wearing a surgical face mask.
Additional Info
Disclosure statements are available on the authors' profiles:
Personal protective effect of wearing surgical face masks in public spaces on self-reported respiratory symptoms in adults: pragmatic randomised superiority trial
BMJ 2024 Jul 24;386(xx)e078918, RB Solberg, A Fretheim, IH Elgersma, M Fagernes, BG Iversen, LG Hemkens, CJ Rose, P ElstrømFrom MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.