Examining the Rate of Mask Usage in the Covid-19 Pandemic in Different Socioeconomic Groups of Mazandaran Province in 2020

One of an effective way to protect yourself and others from the covid-19 disease is to use a mask. In this study, we examined the status of using masks in the covid-19 pandemic focusing on the lower socio-economic classes in Mazandaran province.

This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study that was conducted in the second half of 2020. The statistical population of this study was formed by samples from the population of the western, eastern and central cities of Mazandaran province. Samples of 450 people were selected in a simple and accessible way from different regions of these cities as the study units. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect data. After collecting the data, they were extracted and analyzed according to the available strategies in SPSS software version 21 using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The average age of participants was 36.38±11.69. Among the 450 participants, 255 were male and 195 were female. The findings of this research in general showed that the awareness of the people participating in this research regarding the rate of mask usage in different age groups, and different social, cultural, and economic classes of the society was good, but still, differences have been observed indicating the vulnerability of the lower classes of society to this risk.

According to the findings of this research and the existing facts, in most of the health risks, people from the lower classes of the society are more exposed to risk and damage, therefore, the efforts of managers and officials in reducing inequality in the face of risks, by using all capacities with special attention to the benefit of these groups of society and as a result reducing inequality in health is emphasized.