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Understanding face mask use to prevent coronavirus and other illnesses: Development of a multidimensional face mask perceptions scale
Author(s) -
Howard Matt C.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
british journal of health psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 2044-8287
pISSN - 1359-107X
DOI - 10.1111/bjhp.12453
Subject(s) - psychology , scale (ratio) , perception , face masks , exploratory factor analysis , confirmatory factor analysis , covid-19 , face (sociological concept) , face to face , social psychology , psychometrics , applied psychology , clinical psychology , medicine , computer science , sociology , structural equation modeling , social science , philosophy , physics , disease , epistemology , quantum mechanics , pathology , neuroscience , machine learning , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Face masks are an avenue to curb the spread of coronavirus, but few people in Western societies wear face masks. Social scientists have rarely studied face mask wearing, leaving little guidance for methods to encourage these behaviours. In the current article, we provide an approach to address this issue by developing the 32‐item and 8‐dimension Face Mask Perceptions Scale (FMPS). We begin by developing an over‐representative item list in a qualitative study, wherein participants’ responses are used to develop items to ensure content relevance. This item list is then reduced via exploratory factor analysis in a second study, and the eight dimensions of the scale are supported. We also support the validity of the FMPS, as the scale significantly relates to both face mask wearing and health perceptions. We lastly confirm the factor structure of the FMPS in a third study via confirmatory factor analysis. From these efforts, we identify an avenue that social scientists can aid in preventing coronavirus and illness more broadly – by studying face mask perceptions and behaviours.