探究COVID-19疫情期間戴口罩行為的經驗與態度

Abstract

COVID-19疫情爆發後侵襲全球，戴口罩可阻隔病毒傳播，利於降低感染風險。在臺灣，人們普遍遵守戴口罩政策，然而，高依從率未必能反映出民眾的真實意願，因此本研究採取質性研究方法，旨在探討疫情期間人們戴口罩的經驗與態度。透過訪談11位COVID-19疫情期間居住在台灣20歲以上民眾，以瞭解促使民眾戴口罩因素、戴口罩後的生活改變、戴口罩歷程面臨的障礙與克服方式。研究結果顯示，促使受訪者戴口罩的因素包括政策政令、健康意識、社會共識，也有部分受訪者提到大眾媒體、文化等影響。戴口罩後的正向改變為建立防疫習慣與創造新溝通模式，負向改變為增加開銷與社交活動變動。戴口罩最常面臨的障礙，與生理不適、工作性質、政策細節有關。為了不違反強制口罩令，受訪者也發展出克服上述障礙的方式，包括美容保養或根據場合、社交情境進行彈性調整。基於本研究的結果，疫情期間雖有強制口罩令政策，但是仍然不能忽略民眾對於佩戴口罩的態度和遇到的障礙。本研究建議，在疫情大流行期間，政府與公衛專家們應持續瞭解民眾對於戴口罩行為的經驗與感受，針對障礙提出解決策略，藉此來提高民眾執行戴口罩行為的主動性。此外，研究結果也發現受訪者會因為社會共識及健康意識而強化其戴口罩的意願，可作為未來政策的參考，強調防疫對於群體健康的效益，以及透過多元管道宣導來增強健康意識。

The COVID-19 outbreak hit the world, and wearing masks can help reduce the risk of infection by blocking the transmission of the virus. In Taiwan, it is common for people to comply with the policy of wearing masks; however, the high compliance rate may not reflect the true willingness of the public. Therefore, this study adopted a qualitative research methodology with the aim of exploring people's experiences and attitudes toward wearing masks during the outbreak. A qualitative research method was used to interview 11 people over 20 years of age who lived in Taiwan during the COVID-19 epidemic, in order to understand the factors that motivated people to wear masks, the changes in their lives after they wore masks, and the obstacles they faced and overcame during the mask-wearing process. The results of the study showed that the factors that motivated the respondents to wear masksincluded policies and decrees, health awareness, social consensus, and some respondents also mentioned the influence of mass media and culture. Positive changes after wearing a mask were the establishment of preventive habits and the creation of new communication patterns, while negative changes were the increase in expenses and changes in social activities. The most common barriers to wearing masks were related to physical discomfort, nature of work, and policy details. In order not to violate the mandatory mask order, respondents also developed ways to overcome these barriers, including beauty care and psychological adjustment, or flexible adjustment according to occasions and social situations.Based on the results of this study, although there was a policy of mandatory mask order during the epidemic, the attitudes and barriers to wearing masks could not be ignored. This study suggests that during a pandemic, the government and public health experts should continue to understand people's experiences and feelings about mask-wearing behaviors, and propose strategies to address the barriers in order to increase people's motivation and adherence to mask-wearing behaviors. In addition, the study also found that respondents' willingness to wear masks was strengthened by social consensus and health awareness, which can be used as a reference for future policies to emphasize the benefits of epidemic prevention for public health and to enhance health awareness through multiple channels.