Effectiveness of cloth face masks to prevent viral spread: A meta-analysis
- Autor(en)
- Elisabeth Lucia Zeilinger, Nadine Brunevskaya, Jana Wurzer, Sandra Oberleiter, Jonathan Fries, Amelie Fuchs, Alma Herscovici, Lea Kum, Eva Katharina Masel, Jakob Pietschnig
- Abstrakt
Background The effectiveness of cloth face masks to prevent viral spread has not yet been conclusively established. In this meta-analysis, we evaluate their effectiveness in comparison to standard medical/surgical and N95-typed masks against viral spread. Methods We identified literature through a systematic search in three databases and meta-analytically synthesized relevant studies by means of random-effects as well as multilevel modelling. Results Twelve studies comprising k = 28 effect sizes (N = 338) were included. Medical/surgical and N95-typed masks outperformed cloth masks, yielding a large effect (g = 1.40). This effect remained robust when data were grouped according to comparisons with medical/surgical masks (g = 1.25) and N95-typed masks (g = 1.29). However, effects were differentiated according to mask fit, indicating reversals of signs when cloth mask effects were compared with ill-fitting medical/surgical and N95-typed masks (gs = −12.50 and − 10.90, respectively). Conclusions Cloth face masks were found to have significantly poorer filtering performance than medical/surgical masks and N95 masks, but only if non-cloth masks were properly fitted. Our results illustrate the necessity of using well-fitting medical/surgical or N95-typed masks to prevent viral spread, although some allowance should be made in circumstances where higher compliance with cloth mask mandates are expected.
- Organisation(en)
- Institut für Klinische und Gesundheitspsychologie, Institut für Psychologie der Entwicklung und Bildung
- Externe Organisation(en)
- Medizinische Universität Wien
- Journal
- Journal of Public Health
- Band
- 46
- Seiten
- E84-E90
- ISSN
- 1741-3842
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdad205
- Publikationsdatum
- 03-2024
- Peer-reviewed
- Ja
- ÖFOS 2012
- 501004 Differentielle Psychologie
- Schlagwörter
- ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Link zum Portal
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/e5053f0d-7dc4-4f75-90df-4399ff4357b3