Who is wearing a mask? Gender age and location related differences during the COVID 19 pandemic
Masks are an effective tool in combatting the spread of COVID 19 but wearing them remains controversial and has not been studied in the United States. To understand the demographics of mask wearers in the US, we observed shoppers (n 5517) entering retail stores. 41.5% of the observed sample wore a mask. The odds of an individual wearing a mask increased significantly with age, and was also 1.5x greater for females than males. Additionally, the odds of observing a mask on an urban or suburban shopper were ~4x that for rural areas. Thus, gender, age, and location factor into whether American shoppers wear a mask or face covering. Regardless, all demographics wore masks at substantially lesser rates than required to stop the spread of COVID 19.
medRxiv